The May–June VAT period closed on 30 June. The eFiling deadline is Friday, 31 July 2026 — 19 days away.
If you have not looked at your VAT figures since the period closed, now is the time. The businesses that stress about VAT in the final week are almost always the ones who left their review too late.
Here is where your records should be right now, and what to do if you are behind.
Where You Should Be Right Now
Twelve days have passed since the period closed. By now you should have:
- Generated your VAT report for 1 May to 30 June 2026
- ✓Reviewed the output and input tax figures
- ✓Checked that the numbers make sense for a two-month period
- ✓Identified any obvious errors
If you have done this — good. Use the next two weeks to fix any errors you found and prepare for a clean Wednesday 29 July submission.
If you have not started — do not panic. You still have 19 days. But you need to start today, not next week.
The Bank Reconciliation — Do Not Skip This
The most common reason VAT figures are wrong is an incomplete bank reconciliation.
Your bank account should be fully reconciled to 30 June before you submit. Every transaction matched. Every unreconciled item investigated.
Why does this matter?
Unreconciled transactions usually mean one of three things:
- An invoice has been captured but the payment has not been matched — creating a duplicate
- A payment has gone through the bank but no invoice has been captured — meaning missing input VAT
- A transaction has been miscoded — affecting both your VAT and your income figures
Reconcile your bank to 30 June this week. It will surface errors you would otherwise miss.
Errors Found — What to Do
If your review has turned up errors, here is how to prioritise them:
Fix before submitting:
- Invoices captured in the wrong VAT period
- Duplicate invoices inflating your input VAT
- Supplier invoices missing their VAT registration number — you cannot claim input VAT without a valid tax invoice
- Calculation errors or obvious figures that do not make sense
Leave for next period:
- Minor rounding differences under R100
- Small invoices under R500 in the wrong month
- Categorisation issues that do not affect the VAT amount
Get your figures to 95% accurate. Not perfect — accurate enough to submit without attracting a SARS query.
Your Submission Plan
The deadline is Friday, 31 July. Your target is Wednesday, 29 July — two days early.
Week of 14 July (this week):
Reconcile your bank to 30 June. Fix critical errors. Regenerate your VAT report.
Week of 21 July:
Final review of your figures. Confirm everything looks correct.
Wednesday, 29 July:
Log into eFiling. Complete your VAT201. Submit. Download your proof of submission. Done.
Your payment reference:
When paying your VAT, use the PRN (Payment Reference Number) pre-populated on your VAT201 return. Do not create a new reference — this ensures SARS allocates your payment correctly.
Thursday–Friday, 30–31 July:
Two-day buffer. You are already done.
What Happens If You Miss the 31 July Deadline
Missing the Deadline Has Consequences
Missing the deadline triggers an automatic 10% penalty on the outstanding VAT amount, plus daily interest at the prescribed rate.
If you miss the deadline:
Behind on Your May–June Figures?
If your VAT report has not been generated, your bank is not reconciled, or you are not confident in your figures, we can help you get sorted before the 31 July deadline.
At Accounting Simplified we review your figures, fix errors, and make sure your submission is accurate and on time.
Important: This article provides general guidance for South African businesses. Every business situation is unique — consult a qualified accounting professional for advice specific to your circumstances.