Do taxi, Uber, Bolt drivers have to file tax returns? SARS explains

Tax season has officially commenced in South Africa, leaving many taxi and e-hailing drivers, particularly those working for Uber and Bolt, uncertain about their obligations to file tax returns, including traditional taxi drivers.

The tax season began on Monday, July 7 2025, with the South African Revenue Service (SARS) setting clear deadlines for different categories of taxpayers.

According to the revenue collector, individual taxpayers must file their returns by October 20, 2025. Provisional taxpayers, meanwhile, have until January 19, 2026, to submit.

According to SARS, drivers classified as employees who earn below the tax threshold are not required to register for tax.

However, the revenue service also emphasised that all self-employed individuals conducting a business, including owner drivers, are legally required to register for tax and file returns regardless of their income level or other parameters.

"The law obligates all self-employed individuals conducting a business to register for tax and file returns, regardless of whether their income is below the stated threshold or additional parameters,".  SARS.

"Furthermore, the law also requires that certain individuals are provisional taxpayers who may be required to pay provisional tax, especially those who derive any income from the carrying on of a business.

The income tax threshold for the 2024/25 financial year is R95,750 for individuals under the age of 65. However, meeting or falling below this threshold does not automatically exempt a person from filing a tax return.

People who run a business, earn capital gains above R40,000, hold offshore assets worth more than R250,000, or qualify as provisional taxpayers must still register and submit tax returns. This includes self-employed drivers, regardless of income level.

IOL News

mthobisi.nozulela@iol.co.za

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