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Sage Payroll Professional Year-end Centre

Get all the latest knowledge articles, guides, and online resources you need for year-end activities.
Sage Payroll Professional Year-end articles Tax Year-end Timeline
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  • -Tax Year-end Submission Process
    • Tax Year-end Timeline
    • +SARS Submission: How to prepare and reconcile your payroll for submission
    • SARS Submission: How to submit your reconciliation and tax certificates to SARS
    • Frequently Asked Question during Tax Year-end
  • Checklists
  • Africa Taxation Summaries and Calculators
  • Who should I contact for assistance?
  • SARS e@syFile™︎ Employer assistance
  • SARS eFiling assistance
  • Tax Year-end Training
  • Return of Earnings (CF-2A) Submission
  • +Sage Support Channels
  • +Mid-year Centre for Interim Reconciliation Submissions

Tax Year-end Timeline

February

Important dates/deadlines

  • 19 February 2025: Budget Speech for 2025/2026 tax year (postponed to 12 March 2025)
  • 28 February 2025: End of tax year 2024/2025

Task to complete

  • Preparation: Print the IRP5/IT3a Validation report to identify possible error or outstanding information 
  • Reconciliation: Review your payroll values (EMP501 History Report) with your monthly EMP201 declarations and payments for PAYE, SDL, UIF and ETI
  • Complete your final payroll for 2024/2025 tax year
  • Create a Tax Year-end Instance of your final February payroll when your start your March payroll - this happens automatically, and this instance allows you to generate your tax certificates and submission files

March

Important dates/deadlines

  • 1 March 2025: Start of 2025/2026 tax year
  • 7 March 2025: Deadline to submit your EMP201 for February 2025 (Friday)
  • 12 March 2025: Budget Speech for 2025/2026 tax year
  • 17 March 2025: Patch file release with South Africa tax file for 2025/2026
  • 21 March 2025: Public holiday - Human Rights Day (Friday)

Task to complete

  • Update your live payroll to Release 6.4a (available mid-March 2025). This is a mandatory update for all users.
  • Attend the 2025 Annual Payroll Tax Update seminars or webinar presented by Rob Cooper (click here to book your seat)
  • Update National Minimum Wage codes for ETI
  • Review all payroll records and print the IRP5/IT3a Validation report to identify possible errors or outstanding information 
  • Reconcile your payroll values (EMP501 History Report) in you Tax Year-end Copy System (if not done previously) with your monthly EMP201 declarations and payment for PAYE, SDL, UIF and ETI

April

Important dates/deadlines

  • 1 April 2025: Employer Annual Reconciliation submission opens **
  • 7 April 2025: Software update - Release 6.4a, including ETI changes effective April 2025
  • 7 April 2025: Submit your EMP201 for March 2025 (Monday)
  • 11 April 2025: Return of Earnings 2024 (2024/2025) CF-2a submission opens (as per website Compensation Fund Online website - https://cfonline.labour.gov.za/OnlineSubmissions)
  • 18 April 2025: Public holiday - Good Friday (Friday)
  • 21 April 2025: Public holiday - Family Day (Monday)
  • 27 April 2025: Public holiday - Freedom Day (Sunday)
  • 28 April 2025: Public holiday - Freedom Day observed (Monday)
  • 30 April 2025: Deadline for Workplace Skills Plan / Actual Training Reports (Skills Reports) to your SETA  (Wednesday) - confirm the specific submission dates with your SETA

* *As per SARS Notice on SARS website

Task to complete

  • Review all payroll records and print the IRP5/IT3a Validation report to identify possible errors or outstanding information 
  • Reconcile your payroll values with your monthly EMP201 declarations and payment for PAYE, SDL, UIF and ETI 
  • Submit Employer Annual Reconciliation (EMP501 and tax certificates) to SARS through SARS e@syFile once filing season opens for employers
  • Submit Return of Earnings 2024 (financial year 2024/2025) to the Compensation Fund when submission period opens

May

Important dates/deadlines

  • 1 May 2025: Public holiday - Workers' Day (Thursday)
  • 7 May 2025: Submit your EMP201 for April 2025 (Wednesday)
  • 31 May 2025: Deadline for submission of Annual Employer Reconciliation (Saturday)

Task to complete

  • If you still have not completed the preparation for submission:
    • Review all payroll records and print the IRP5/IT3a Validation report to identify possible errors or outstanding information 
    • Reconcile your payroll values with your monthly EMP201 declarations and payment for PAYE, SDL, UIF and ETI 
    • Submit Employer Annual Reconciliation (EMP501 and tax certificates) to SARS through SARS e@syFile before Friday 31 May 2025 ***
  • Submit Return of Earnings 2024 (2024/2025) to the Compensation Fund

*** Avoid the rush and long queues for assistance by submitting as soon as possible.

June

Important dates/deadlines

  • 7 June 2025: Submit your EMP201 for May 2025 (Saturday)
  • 30 June 2025: Return of Earnings 2024 (financial year 2024/2025) CF-2a submission deadline (Monday)

Task to complete

  • Submit Return of Earnings 2024 (financial year 2024/2025) to the Compensation Fund before Monday 30 June 2025 

(Updated 25/02/2025)

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