Transfer duty is a tax levied on the value of any property acquired by any person by way of a transaction or in any other way. For the purpose of transfer duty, property means land and fixtures and includes real rights in land, rights to minerals, a share or interest in a “residential property company” or a share in a share-block company.
Conveyancers have to submit transfer duty declarations to SARS. This can be done through eFiling or through a third party conveyance systems which integrate eFiling. Should supporting documents be required, these will be requested of the conveyancer and have to be uploaded electronically. Once satisfied, the application will be approved by SARS. If no payment is required, the system will automatically release the receipt after approval.
On 11 April 2022, SARS issued an alert to all conveyancers in connection with transfer duty applications, highlighting that they only have seven days to upload supporting documents after a final request letter has been issued.
The communication issued by SARS, which highlights the time frames applying to transfer duty applications, can be accessed here.