The small business tax guide
SBC rates from 0%, turnover tax, provisional deadlines and the 2026 VAT change — how small businesses legitimately pay less.
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Free guides
Guides that give you the straight answer.
Plain-English guides to the decisions South African business owners — and UK practice owners — actually face. No jargon, no fluff.
VAT registration 2026
The threshold doubled to R2.3 million in April 2026. When you must register, when you should choose to, and the traps.
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Starting a Pty Ltd
The complete checklist — CIPC, SARS, the bank, beneficial ownership and your first-year compliance calendar.
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Offshoring for UK firms
Why UK practices are choosing South Africa, what good offshoring looks like, and how to pilot it without risk.
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Payroll: PAYE, UIF & SDL
Every monthly payroll obligation for SA employers — the EMP201, EMP501 recons, IRP5s and the deadline that never moves.
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Sole proprietor vs (Pty) Ltd
Tax, liability, admin and cost compared — how to choose the right structure for your South African business.
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What can your business claim?
The deductions SA businesses can legitimately take — home office, travel, wear-and-tear — and the traps to avoid.
Read the guideTurnover tax explained
One simple tax on your sales for micro businesses under R1m — the brackets, the trade-offs, and how to register.
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Salary vs dividends
The two ways to draw money from your Pty Ltd, how each is taxed, and why a mix usually wins.
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Hiring your first employee
Registering as an employer, PAYE/UIF/SDL, contracts and the true monthly cost of your first hire.
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Contractor vs employee
SARS's dominant-impression test, the risk of getting it wrong, and how to structure contractors properly.
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Tax Compliance Status (TCS)
The TCS PIN that replaced the paper tax clearance, what SARS checks, and how staying compliant wins work.
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The two deadlines, how SARS calculates it, and how to avoid the under-estimation penalty.
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Switching accountants
The signs it's time to move, the myth that it's hard, and the clearance process step by step.
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Cashflow management
Why profit isn't cash, the rolling forecast, chasing debtors, and building a buffer against shocks.
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Cloud accounting
Live bank feeds, VAT201-ready books, and how Xero, Sage, Zoho and QuickBooks compare.
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Pty Ltd annual compliance
CIPC annual return, beneficial ownership, the register, ITR14, provisional tax and directors' duties.
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B-BBEE basics
The EME affidavit under R10m, what level you get, and why it wins bigger contracts.
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Do you actually need an accountant?
The honest answer: it depends on your setup. When a bookkeeper is enough, when an accountant pays for itself, and how to tell the difference.
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The five moments that usually mean it's time: registering a Pty Ltd, hiring staff, the turnover-tax line, the VAT threshold, and the first SARS letter.
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