How to get a SARS tax clearance PIN
The old paper tax clearance certificate is gone. What tenders, banks and big clients ask for now is a tax compliance status PIN from SARS. Here is how the system works, what blocks a "compliant" status, and how to fix each blocker.
What the tax compliance status system is
SARS's Tax Compliance Status (TCS) system replaced paper clearance certificates. Instead of a certificate that goes stale the day after it is printed, SARS gives you a PIN. Anyone you share the PIN with can look up your compliance status on SARS eFiling and see it live, as it stands the day they check - not the day you applied.
Your status is either compliant or non-compliant, and it moves with your behaviour. File and pay on time and you stay green; miss a return or leave a debt unpaid and the same PIN starts showing red.
Why tenders and contracts demand it
Government tenders require bidders to be tax compliant, and the PIN is how organs of state verify it. Increasingly, private companies do the same before onboarding suppliers, and some banks and licensing bodies ask for it too. Because the verifier sees your live status, a PIN that was green when you submitted the bid can be red at adjudication - which is exactly when it costs you the contract. Staying compliant matters more than getting the PIN once.
How to request the PIN
On eFiling, activate the Tax Compliance Status service, then request a PIN under "My Compliance Profile". If your profile shows compliant, the PIN issues quickly and you can share it with as many verifiers as you like. The PIN itself is free. Different request types exist (good standing, tender-related and others for specific purposes such as foreign investment), but for tenders and client onboarding, good standing is the usual one.
Before requesting, open "My Compliance Profile" and look at the four things SARS checks: registration status, submission of returns, debt, and relevant supporting information. Anything red there is what you fix first.
What blocks a compliant status
- Outstanding returns. Any unfiled return on any tax type you are registered for - income tax, VAT, PAYE, provisional tax - flags the profile. Nil returns count: registered for VAT but not trading still means filing.
- Outstanding debt. Unpaid tax, penalties or interest above SARS's small-balance threshold shows as debt. Old admin penalties for late CIPC-era returns are a common surprise.
- Registration issues. Wrong or incomplete registered details, or no registered representative appointed for the entity, can block the profile before the other checks even run.
How to fix each blocker
Unfiled returns: file them, oldest first, including nil returns. The status typically updates within days of SARS processing the submissions.
Debt you can pay: pay it and allow a few days for allocation. Check that payments were allocated to the right periods - misallocated payments keep profiles red after the money has left your account.
Debt you cannot pay now: apply for a deferred payment arrangement, or a compromise in genuine hardship cases. A debt under an active, honoured payment arrangement generally does not block compliant status - which is the practical rescue for a business that needs a tender PIN before it can clear the whole debt.
Disputed amounts: lodge the dispute and request suspension of payment. If you believe the status itself is wrong, eFiling has a process to challenge it.
If you would rather hand the whole untangling over, ProperSA's tax clearance service diagnoses what is blocking your status and gets the PIN issued for a flat R450.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to get a tax clearance PIN from SARS?
If your profile is already compliant, the PIN usually issues on eFiling within minutes to a day. If returns or debt must be fixed first, add the time SARS takes to process those - filing and payment allocations typically reflect within a few business days.
Is a tax clearance certificate still valid in South Africa?
SARS no longer issues paper tax clearance certificates; the TCS PIN replaced them. Verifiers use your PIN to check live status on eFiling, so an old printed certificate carries no weight.
Why is my tax compliance status non-compliant?
Almost always one of three things: an unfiled return on some tax type (nil returns included), outstanding debt or penalties, or a registration issue such as no registered representative. "My Compliance Profile" on eFiling shows exactly which one is red.
Can I get a tax clearance PIN if I owe SARS money?
Not while the debt sits unpaid and unarranged. But if you enter a deferred payment arrangement with SARS and keep to it, the profile can return to compliant while you pay the debt off - that is the standard route for businesses that need a PIN before they can settle in full.
Need the PIN sorted for you?
We diagnose what is blocking your compliance status and get your tax clearance PIN issued for a flat R450.
Get my tax clearanceKeep exploring
Free tools are estimates. Packs are templates and guidance, not legal or financial advice.