It's once again that time of the year where everybody is madly rushing around trying to get their tax returns submitted. I have friends and clients calling me up at all hours of the day and night begging me to help them set up e-filing and to help them complete their tax returns. Most of them have very simple tax returns and should be able to do it all by themselves in less than 10 minutes, but they lack the know how.

So, while I'm not about to provide tax advice (sorry, you'll have to pay for that), the process of registering for e-filing and completing your tax return online can be easily explained and should put you well on your way to doing your own tax.

Step 1 – Registering for tax

Just because your employer deducts employees tax from you on a monthly basis does not mean you are a registered tax payer. You need to apply to become a registered tax payer, at which point you will be allocated a tax number. These days SARS requires employers to provide tax numbers for all their employees, but many companies are slack in this regard and it is up to the employees to organize all of this on their own.

The application form can be found here.

It is known as form IT 77. Complete the form and take it to your local SARS branch along with:

1. A certified copy of your Identification Document or Passport (drivers licences are not accepted);
2. Your bank details: either a cancelled cheque or a certified/original copy of your account statement or an original letter from the bank confirming your bank details; 
3. Income details for the last 3 years e.g. copies of IRP5 etc;
4. Proof of residence e.g. your rates/electricity bill.

They will complete the process of registering you while you wait and issue you with a printout of your personal details containing your tax number. You can now register for e-filing.

Step 2 – Registering for e-filing

To register as an eFiler you will need to go to the SARS e-filing website and click on the REGISTER button in the top right hand corner. You will then be guided through a six-step process, which will take between five and ten minutes to complete.

The first page informs you what personal information you will need in order to register for e-filing. You will then need to choose whether you are registering for individual tax, as a tax practitioner or for organisations. In your case it will most probably be for individual tax. Simply click on the 'individual' button and you are ready to go.

The process that follows now is quick and easy. You need to read the terms and conditions and agree to them. You will then be prompted to complete your personal information and registering your username and password.

Once you have completed this process and SARS is satisfied that your ID nr, tax nr and username and password are correct and sufficient you are registered for e-filing. In some cases you will receive notification immediately and you will be able to access e-filing, however it can take up to 48 hours for SARS to register you on e-filing. So if you don't receive immediate notification, don't despair.

Step 3 – Logging into e-filing and completing your return

Once you've been notified that your e-filing registration is complete you are good to go. You can log into the website by going to http://www.sarsefiling.co.za/ and clicking on the 'Login' button in the far upper right corner. This will take you to the login screen, where you will be prompted to enter your user name with SARS' additional 4 digit identifier and password in order to gain access to your tax information. It is important to remember that both the username and password are case sensitive.

In most cases, as soon as you log in a message box will pop up, informing you that a return has been issued. This is if you only recently registered and need to complete your tax returns.

You will be given a choice between viewing your tax return in Flash or in Adobe, personally I prefer Adobe, but Flash works just as well. In order to view the return issued you need to open the ITR12 document. If this is the first time you are viewing your return I would suggest clicking on the 'refresh IRP5 Data' button first, before opening your ITR12, to ensure that the IRP5 submitted by your employer will reflect on your return.

The website will then take you to the first page of your return. Here you will be required to check little yes and no boxes and supply other random bits of information. Once you have done this you will click the 'create form' box. SARS will then personalize your return according to your specifications. If you are uncertain of what to answer to any of these questions I suggest you seek professional advice.

Now you can scroll down in order to review your details and ensure they are correct and complete the rest of your return. Once you are done you have two options. You can either file your return if you are 100% satisfied with it, or save it online, should you not be 100% satisfied and wanting to change information at a later stage. The buttons for 'file' and 'save online' can be found at the top of every page.

Once you have completed your return and either filed it, or saved it, you can request an estimated tax calculation from SARS in order to give you a rough idea of what your assessment will look like. This can be found by clicking here:

And there you have it....easy as pie. Remember that even though you do not have to submit supporting documentation with your return it is of absolute importance to keep all your supporting documentation as SARS can choose to perform an audit at any time. This can be done in various ways, either in print or electronically by scanning the each item and saving it in Dropbox or somewhere on your hard drive. And whatever you do, make regular backups.