SARS eFiling
- All Apps
- Aug 2, 2024
- 14 min read
Updated: Aug 5
This post will explain how to install and make use of the DataGrows, eFiling extension. This will enable you to bring in your taxpayers from your practitioner's profile as well as Save, Request and Submit IRP6s directly through DataGrows into eFiling.
Our extension into SARS enables real-time feedback, eliminating the lengthy delays often associated with filing integrations. We harness your unique login with SARS and DataGrows to provide you with secure access to your taxpayer information.
The post will break down the steps as follows:
Importing Taxpayers and Setting User Permissions
Importing Taxpayers
1.2 Import Taxpayers
1.3 Troubleshooting
1.4 Matching Clients
Set User Permissions
Importing Taxpayers
1.1. Download the extension:
The extension is not currently supported in Safari or Firefox. If you are using a Mac, please download Google Chrome to use the extension.
To begin with.
Click on the button to install the extension. You'll see that it is a Chrome Web Store-approved extension.
Next, click on the ‘Get’ or ‘Add to Chrome’ button.
You'll see an allow button for the first time. Click Allow and then add the extension. It is now installed in a matter of seconds. You'll find your extension in the little puzzle piece next to the URL bar in your browser.
1.2 Import Taxpayers:
The first phase of the extension involves bringing in your taxpayers from your practitioner's profile.
Close all tabs in your browser
Open the Extension by going to the puzzle piece next to the URL bar. Pin DataGrows
Click on the burger menu
Go to SARS - Taxpayers
Click on the DataGrows link in Step 1
Log in to DataGrows.co.za and go to the Clients table
Click on the eFiling link in Step 2
Login
REFRESH the eFiling page
Click on Import Taxpayers in the panel at the bottom.
Your taxpayers will start to import
Scroll to the bottom of the extension tab
Once the number stops counting up, all of your clients should have pulled in to DataGrows
To see your clients in DataGrows, navigate to the SARS department in the left navigation
Click on SARS Taxpayers
The number to the bottom right of this table should be the same as the total number in the extension.
You can close the extension for now.
1.3 Troubleshooting
Please follow the steps below if:
a. The extension keeps on spinning for longer than 2 minutes without bringing in any taxpayers.
b. Some taxpayers have been pulled in but the number of taxpayers at the bottom of the extension has been stuck for longer than 5 minutes and you know the total is not correct yet.
Close the extension.
Go to manage extension by clicking on the puzzle piece next to the URL bar
Switch the extension off and on by unchecking and rechecking the checkbox.
Close eFiling & DataGrows tabs.
Follow the above steps again to try to import the taxpayers.
If nothing happens within a few seconds, book a meeting with us via this link: https://calendly.com/d/cknb-55f-cjy/onboarding-sars-efiling.
1.4 Matching Clients
You will see that if the client exists in DataGrows they will have been matched in the DataGrows Client column where possible. You will need to match the outstanding clients manually or add them to DataGrows as clients where they have not been added yet.
This is a great method to help complete missing information for your clients or as an initial onboarding tool. Please follow these steps until you have matched all the clients that you can. Clients that have not been added to DataGrows yet can be left blank at this point. We will show you how to add them later.
To match clients:
Set your rows per page to the maximum by selecting it from the bottom right-hand corner
Hover over the column heading DataGrows Client
Click on the 3-dot menu
Click on filter
Change the parameter from Contains to Equals
Leave the field to the right blank
Click apply
This will display all clients that have not been matched yet.
To match a client, click on the client record, then select the applicable client from the DataGrows client dropdown
Save
1.5 How to handle duplicate clients or inactive clients
Duplicate clients can occur due to multiple factors, such as a taxpayer passing away, a parent and child with the same name/initials & surname, or an entity closing and reopening. You might also have clients who are no longer with your practice. The selections made below will not alter the client record on eFiling.
If you have duplicates in the SARS taxpayer table, but you want to keep both, you will need to add a unique suffix to one:
Go to the Status column, then filter for contains ‘Duplicate Name’
Click on the client record,
Add a unique suffix in the suffix field (like SNR / JNR / Deceased / Insolvent)
Save
To archive old taxpayers:
Click on the square to the left of the taxpayer record
Go to Actions
Mark as Inactive
This will move the client to the SARS Taxpayer Archive table. This will allow you to see which clients to delete off eFiling, and if you are unable to delete them, you can keep them separate from your active taxpayers.
1.6 Post missing clients to DataGrows
Once the above is done, you can:
Filter on where DataGrows client is blank
Select all the records
Go to Actions - Update/Add clients
These clients will be added to DataGrows
If an error occurs or any clients are still blank in the DataGrows client column, please follow the prompt and run the action again
2. Set User Permissions
In this section, I will show you how to calculate the tax payable for your clients in DataGrows to assist with the IRP6 return.
2.1. Actions
To start, you will need to adjust user permissions so that the correct team members will have access to run the actions between DataGrows and eFiling. Actions include requesting, filing, and saving an IRP6, among others. You want to ensure that only your trusted staff members can access this information and protect your client data on eFiling.
To do this:
Go to Setup - User Actions
You can filter on any of our standard roles in the User Roles column
Check the 'Can Use Action' checkbox if you want users with this role to be able to run the action.
For custom users, you will need to go to Setup - Accountant
Click on the record for that Accountant
Go to Accountant Actions
There, you can check the 'Can Use Action' checkbox where needed.
The 'Provisional Tax Returns: Populate Zero Return' action will enable you to file zero returns in bulk. So, any clients who don't have a taxable income or who will not be paying tax in this August period, for example, can be run in bulk and actually indicated as zeros.
2.2. Tables
Please also ensure the relevant users have access to the Provisional tax table; otherwise, they will not be able to run the actions.
For standard roles: You can view this by going to Setup - User Roles, then selecting the SARS department and the Tax department and choosing the appropriate permissions.
For custom roles: You can view this by going to Setup - Accountant
Click on the Accountant
Go to Accountant rights, then select the SARS department and the Tax department.
Save, Request and Submit IRP6s
These sections will show you how to Create, Save, Request and Submit/File IRP6s
3. Calculate Tax Payable
In this section, I will show you how to create records under the IRP6 table, perform the calculations, and obtain approval for your clients' payments. The calculation is really, really cool. And going to save you a ton of time with everything that we've put into it.
This section can be broken down as follows:
3.1 Create the IRP6 record
To get started, you will need to create an IRP6 record for the applicable clients. To do this:
Go to the Tax Department - Provisional tax. Just so you know, provisional tax records will be scheduled here based on the services you have enabled in the Client table.
You can filter on the period or due date column if you do not want to view all records.
Ensure the rows per page is set to the maximum in the bottom right corner
Select the clients that you want to create an IRP6 record for by checking their checkboxes to the left of the records.
Go to Actions - Create IRP6
If you do not see this action, it is likely that your user access does not permit you to access it.
Once the Action has been run, the SARS Status column will update
If the IRP6 tasks were created successfully, the SARS Status will show created
If an error occurs, it will be displayed in the SARS status as 'Not Created' with an actionable note in the note field, indicating how to resolve the issue.
3.2 To see successful IRP6 records
You can view the IRP6 task for one client by:
Clicking on the client record in the Provisional tax table
Then going to SARS - SARS IRP6 in the top right
Then click on the square with the arrow pointing up and to the right, which can be found above the table heading.
Or view all IRP6 tasks by going to:
SARS in the left navigation
Then SARS IRP6
Here, you will see the client's name, their tax number, and the period of return for which we are currently preparing their declaration.
3.3 Completing the calculations.
When you open any of the records, you will see some fields where you can insert values and a lot of greyed-out fields. All greyed-out values will be collected from SARS once the return is requested, and the status will be updated accordingly.
You will see that our tax calculator also includes a calculator for companies, which is great.
To use the tax payable calculator:
Complete the Gross Income and Estimated Taxable Income fields.
Leave the Tax On Estimated Taxable Income field blank; you can adjust this later if needed.
Click Save
Next, you can go to Tax - Provisional tax
If you scroll to the right of that client record, you will see a column titled "Small Business Tax," which indicates whether a company qualifies for small business tax.
The indicator can be set by going to the client in the Clients table
Opening their record
Go to the Small Business Tax tab at the top
Complete the relevant record by answering the questions. Yes to all 5 will change the Small Business Tax indicator to Qualifies.
Save
If you open the IRP6 record for that client again under SARS - SARS IRP6, you will see that the Tax On Estimated Taxable Income field has been populated according to the full year tax on the estimated taxable income based on whether or not the client qualifies for small business tax and according to the relevant tax rates.
Under the Recalculate Tax section, you will see the half (6-month) payable value in the 'Tax Payable For This Period' field and the 'Tax Payable' field under the Taxpayer Estimate section.
If a company does not qualify for small business tax, the amount is calculated based on the 27% tax rate. Individuals and trusts will be calculated according to their tax rate tables for the tax year.
Once you click Save, you can go back to the corresponding Provisional Tax task
You will see that the Calculated checkbox for that task has been checked.
It has also inserted the Gross Income, Estimated Taxable Income and Tax On Estimated Taxable Income fields.
If you scroll to the right of that table, you will see a column called Provisional Tax Calculation. You can click on the relevant link to access the report, which can be downloaded and sent to your client for approval.
3.4 The report explained:
Firm Details: You will see your firm details at the top of the report; this information is pulled from Setup - Firm Settings.
Client Details: The client details section pulls through from the Client record in the Client table
Progress: The progress dropdown refers to the status of the Provisional Tax Returns task. This is crucial to ensure that the correct approvals are processed. Later on, you will see that we will not file a return unless the Progress shows 'Submit Zero Return' or 'Ready For Submission'.
Tax Payable: The tax payable will display on the report
Approval Requested: The Primary Contact from the client record in the Client table will be displayed as the required signature.
You can save this file as a PDF by clicking on the old floppy disc icon, then PDF.
You can email this PDF to your client for them to sign.
Once the client sends back the signed PDF, you can attach it to the Provisional Tax returns record by clicking on the record, then going to Documents.
3.5 Errors & Mandatory Fields
a. Dealing with errors or warnings
Some of the records will give errors when you try to save them. Please follow the prompts to correct the errors. If additional information is requested, such as a Date of Birth, we recommend adding it to the Client Table, then coming back and saving the IRP6 record, to ensure the data can pull through correctly to all other fields in DataGrows. The date of birth determines the rebates as well as the tax threshold.
b. Mandatory Fields
Certain fields in the IRP6 record are mandatory because they are mandatory in SARS as well. These include the 'Medical Schemes Tax Credit' and the 'Additional Medical Expenses Tax Credits' fields. If it is a 0 value, you will need to actively insert a 0 here to ensure you do not forget to add the value.
Once the record is saved, you will then see that we work out the tax divided by two for the first period, and then the Employee's Tax For This Period will be deducted from the amount payable.
3.6 Troubleshooting
If you try to create an IRP6 and it fails with the following message: “IRP6 could not be created. Please ensure the taxpayer has been linked in the SARS Taxpayers table to a DataGrows Client”, please go through the following steps:
Navigate to the SARS Department - SARS Taxpayers and search for the client. If they are there, ensure the Name and DataGrows client are matched.
If you cannot find the client, please run the SARS Taxpayers import again by following these steps: Adding and linking Taxpayers.
You need to regularly run the “import taxpayers” action, it’s not automatic from eFiling.
Ensure the extension is updated. Our extensions update automatically when you restart your browser, however if you haven’t restarted in a while, please update the extension
4. Request Provisional Tax Return (IRP6)
In this section, I will demonstrate how to request, save, and file a Provisional Tax Return from DataGrows directly to eFiling.
This section can be broken down as follows:
4.1 Requesting the return
Go to the Tax Department, Provisional Tax Returns table
Check the checkbox next to the return that you want to request.
Go to Actions - Request IRP6.
This will open the extension in the side panel
The steps that have already been completed will be checked
You can follow the guide to complete the next steps.
These include:
Log in to eFiling using the underlined link
DataGrows will have pulled in your Provisional Tax Return clients into the extension.
Click on the button 'Request/Refresh Tax Returns'. This will either request a new return if it has not yet been issued, or import any information from eFiling into DataGrows for existing returns, such as whether the return has already had values saved in eFiling or whether it has been filed.
When the eFiling tab closes, the information will have been successfully imported.
In the Provisional Tax Returns table in DataGrows, the SARS Status column will now display ‘ISSUED’ or ‘REQUESTED’.
Next, open the record,
Then go to SARS - SARS IRP6 in the top right
Click on the square with the arrow pointing up and to the right, which can be found above the table heading
This will take you to the main table, allowing you to maximise efficiency from the input form.
4.2 Returns not issuing & troubleshooting
Once you have requested the returns in the panel, please ensure all your returns show Status: "Requested / Refreshed / SAVED" in the panel as well the SARS Status column in Provisional Tax Returns in DataGrows.
Should the return not be issued by SARS, the status will show “FAILED” in the panel.
We will indicate the SARS Status as FAILED for these clients in Provisional Tax Returns. Please carefully follow the instructions in the Provisional Tax Table under SARS Notes.
NOTE: SARS may experience heavy site traffic, which could cause the request to fail, and eFiling will state the return will be available within 24 hours. In cases like that, we recommend trying later or outside of peak hours.
Please ensure that you do not have any duplicate taxpayers linked to the same active DataGrows client (especially inactive ones). This will create an IRP6 for an inactive taxpayer and will cause the Request IRP6 to fail. If you can't delete these taxpayers from eFiling, please ensure the DataGrows client column is blank for them.
We encourage you to request your August returns in advance in July, where possible, and in January for February deadlines, to avoid any congestion or delays.
5. Submit Zero Return
Once you have calculated the taxable income for all your clients, you can indicate in bulk those clients who incurred a loss or don't have taxable income. Perhaps they're not trading or are simply not paying tax during this period for some reason.
To indicate them:
Go to the Provisional Tax Returns table
Check the checkbox to the left of the client record
Go to Actions - Populate Zero Return. This will change the Progress dropdown to Submit Zero Return and update the Notes field to indicate that 'the client has no taxable income or has incurred a loss. Submit a zero return to SARS.
Things that will prevent a Zero return submission
As mentioned earlier, the 'Submit Zero Return' indicator on the Progress dropdown is crucial for a successful Zero Return submission; without it, no further action will be taken. This also prevents someone from accidentally pushing a whole bunch of zeros in bulk that haven't been calculated or approved.
The other protection that we've put in is if someone runs the Action, 'Populate Zero Return' for records where you've calculated tax for a client, you will see that the Progress dropdown will remain blank, and the Notes field will indicate 'you have calculated a taxable income and tax. Please amend the calculation before a zero may be submitted." This also prevents the existing IRP6 record with all its values and calculations from being overridden.
6. Save Provisional Tax Return (IRP6)
Once your clients have approved the tax payable report mentioned above, you can save the IRP6 to eFiling.
To do this:
Select these records by checking the checkboxes to the left in the Provisional Tax Returns table.
Ensure the extension is open and that you have logged into eFiling
Go to Actions - Save IRP6
This will select the relevant clients into the extension.
Press Save IRP6 in the extension to save the values to eFiling.
7. File a Provisional Tax Return (IRP6)
Once you are happy that the returns display in the Returns Issued Review table in SARS eFiling, you can file the return. To do this:
Ensure that the progress for all records you want to submit has been changed to 'Submit Zero' return or 'Ready for Submission'.
Make sure the relevant records in DataGrows are still selected and that the same records are selected in the DataGrows SARS extension.
If the clients are already showing in the panel as saved, you can file them directly in the panel. If you want to select different taxpayers, please first use the Save IRP6 or File IRP6 actions in DataGrows, and then press the actions in the extension. You cannot file a return unless you have already saved it, as it will be red in eFiling with empty fields.
Once you have filed them, this will change the SARS status column to FILED in DataGrows if filed through the SARS extension.
That return has now been submitted and will be available in SARS eFiling under Returns History - Provisional Tax (IRP6).
8. Reports
Under the Reports table, you will see two useful reports:
8.1 The SARS Provisional Tax Dashboard report
Click on the link to access it. It will default to the current month just to make it quicker for you to see all the information. You can override this and select a longer date range or a different one. You can also filter according to Progress, Accountant or Client
The report will display a dashboard showing the progress of each client. It has an indicator to show where values have been calculated and saved. Colour coding will help you understand how to go through: So green will be either submit zero return or ready for submission in the Progress dropdown, while yellow tasks in the Due date column are due in the next 7 days, and red tasks are overdue. This dashboard can be accessed by each team member and will really help everyone stay on top of those deadlines.
8.2 The SARS Taxpayers Audit Log.
This report refers to the SARS taxpayers table that can be found in the SARS Department in the left navigation. It will indicate any setup issues, for example:
Where clients still need to be matched or created in DataGrows
A duplicate client exists and needs a unique suffix
The entity type is missing and needs to be added before they can be added to the client's table.
If you get stuck at any point, please reach out to support@mydatagrows.com so we can assist or book a session through this link.
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