The South African Revenue Service (SARS) Call Centre is the main contact point for all enquiries from the public and tax practitioners. The call centre staff do not have the authority to change a taxpayer’s ID number.
General enquiries
If you have a query about the ID Number Change process, please email us at [email protected] or call our Call Centre on 0800 202 974.
For more information on how to change your ID number, visit [link here]. You can also find out where the nearest SARS branch is by visiting your local branch’s website or calling them directly.
Audit enquiries
The audit team handles:
- conducting audits of taxpayers’ books and records.
- conducting audits of tax returns.
- conducting audits of tax payments.
Taxpayer enquiries
Taxpayers can call the call centre to find out about their tax affairs, tax returns, and assessment.
Taxpayers can also contact the call centre if they have any concerns or questions.
Custom enquiries
- Customs enquiries:
- Customs regulations:
- Importing and exporting:
- Customers who are importing or exporting goods will often have to complete forms for Customs, who will then decide whether the item can be imported or exported. These include:
Tax practitioner enquiries
If you’re a tax practitioner, you won’t be able to do this—you’ll need to go to one of SARS’ branches.
They usually change the ID number on the same day as it was requested, but it may take up to 48 hours for the change to become effective.
The call centre agents can’t change the ID number.
The call centre agents can help you with general enquiries, audit enquiries, taxpayer enquiries and custom enquiries but they cannot change your ID number. You will need to go through the relevant department for this process.
Call centre agents are trained on how to handle specific queries related to the following departments:
- Tax practitioners – This includes queries that involve the IRP6 tax practitioner registration application form and renewal of their registration certificate.
- Auditor – It’s important that you make sure that your auditor has a valid licence when working on your accounts. If they don’t have one, ask them why not before signing off on anything in which case the call centre agent will assist you further if needed by referring this query back over to our VAT section for investigation only (which may lead to legal action if found guilty).
Conclusion
We’re glad you’ve found us. We know that getting an ID number is a big deal, so we want to make sure that you get all the help you need. If you have questions about your change of ID number, please contact us and we will be happy to assist you.
