How to Get a SARS Tax Clearance Certificate in South Africa

A SARS Tax Clearance Certificate (TCC) is an official document that confirms your tax affairs are in order. It shows that you have no outstanding tax debt and are compliant with your tax obligations up to the date the certificate was issued. It is one of the most frequently requested compliance documents for South African businesses — required for government tenders, funding applications, emigration, and many banking transactions.

When you need a Tax Clearance Certificate

• Applying for government tenders or contracts (all state entities require it)
• Applying for business funding from banks or development finance institutions
• Opening certain types of business bank accounts
• B-BBEE verification as a supplier or contractor
• Applying to emigrate (personal TCC for good standing)
• Foreign investment applications exceeding certain thresholds

Types of Tax Clearance Certificates

SARS issues different categories of TCC depending on why you need it. The most common is the Good Standing TCC, which confirms you have no outstanding tax obligations. For tender applications, you specifically need a Tender TCC. There is also an Emigration TCC and a Foreign Investment TCC for those specific situations. When someone asks for a TCC without specifying the type, they usually mean Good Standing or Tender.

How to apply on eFiling

Log into SARS eFiling at secure.sarsefiling.co.za and navigate to the Tax Compliance Status section. Select "Request TCS" (Tax Compliance Status) and choose the relevant type. The system checks your tax account in real time — all returns must be filed and any outstanding debt must be settled or under a valid payment arrangement before a TCC will be issued.

If your account is clear, the TCC is issued immediately as a pin-protected document. You receive a unique PIN that the person requesting the certificate can use to verify it directly with SARS. The verification process is online, which means a forged TCC is relatively easy to detect.

What blocks a TCC from being issued

• Outstanding tax returns not yet filed (ITR14, VAT201, EMP201, IRP6)
• Tax debt that is not under a payment arrangement with SARS
• An active SARS audit or investigation on your account
• Administrative penalties that have not been resolved

If you have outstanding debt but cannot pay it in full, contact SARS to enter into a payment arrangement before applying. A formally agreed arrangement in writing is treated as compliant for TCC purposes, provided you are meeting the arrangement's terms.

How long a TCC remains valid

A Tax Clearance Certificate is generally valid for one year from the date of issue. However, the entity requesting it may have their own shorter validity requirements — some government departments only accept a TCC that is less than three months old. Check the requirements of whoever is requesting it before applying, so you do not apply too early and have it expire before you can use it.

Because the TCC reflects your compliance status at the time of issue, it does not automatically become invalid if your tax affairs change after that date. But if the requesting party runs a live verification against your compliance status using your tax reference number, any post-issue changes will be visible to them.