CRS Mondial SA

HOW DOES SARS ACTUALLY DECIDE AN INSTITUTION IS “NON-COMPLIANT”?
Swipe through to see how the case gets built.

SARS acts on incidences of non-compliance - the total count of failures per Account Holder. That includes failing to submit required returns, failing to implement due diligence requirements, and failing to provide reportable person details.

Enough incidences, and SARS classifies it as significant non-compliance. From the moment you're notified, the clock starts: 60 days to remedy the breach before monetary penalties and escalated enforcement follow.

The best time to find these gaps is before the notification arrives. My name is RC Terblanche.

CRS Mondial has spent 25 years helping institutions identify exposure early. We're ready to assist.

crsmondial.com • [email protected] • +27 82 411 3262

CRS has a new cousin, and its name is CARF.

The OECD's Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework is extending AEOI-style due diligence and reporting obligations to crypto-asset service providers - and jurisdictions are already building it into their 2026/2027 reporting cycles.

If your institution touches digital assets in any form, the question isn't whether you’ll need a CARF readiness plan. It's how soon.

CRS Mondial has spent 25 years staying ahead of exactly this kind of regulatory shift, so our clients don't have to scramble when the deadline lands.

Let's talk about where CARF fits into your compliance calendar.

crsmondial.com • [email protected] • +27 82 411 3262

THE 6 THINGS SARS REQUIRED BEFORE A SELF-CERTIFICATION IS ACTUALLY VALID 💡

A valid self-certification must be signed by the Account Holder and dated at receipt. It must also include their full name, residential address, tax jurisdiction status, a TIN for every reportable jurisdiction, and date of birth.

Miss one field, and you don’t have a valid self-certification; you have a reporting risk sitting quietly in your onboarding file, waiting to surface at the worst possible time.

CRS Mondial reviews onboarding documentation for financial institutions across South Africa and beyond, so gaps get caught by us, not by SARS.

Ready for a self-certification review? Send us a message.

crsmondial.com • [email protected] • +27 82 411 3262

SAFFAS MOVING TO THE USA: WHAT TO EXPECT BEFORE YOU LAND 🇿🇦🇺🇸

Moving to the US comes with a tax system that's very different from South Africa's. While South Africa generally taxes based on tax residency, the US taxes based on citizenship. That means your obligations may continue even if you don't live there.

Before you make the move, here are three important facts to know:

1. The US taxes citizenship, not residency.
If you're a US citizen or Green Card holder, you'll generally need to report your worldwide income to the IRS, regardless of where you live.

2. South Africa and the US have had a tax treaty since 1997.
The treaty helps reduce double taxation on certain types of income, including employment income, dividends, and pensions.

3. There is no Totalization Agreement between South Africa and the US.
This means you could, in some circumstances, be required to contribute to both countries' social security systems on the same income.

If you're still a South African tax resident while living in the US, you may need to navigate two tax systems at the same time. Book a cross-border tax consultation and make sure you're structured correctly before you move.

crsmondial.com • [email protected] • +27 82 411 3262

TAX TERMS EXPLAINED: EXIT TAX 📚

When you formally cease your South African tax residency, SARS treats it as though you've sold your worldwide assets the day before you left, even though no actual sale takes place. This is called a deemed disposal, and it exists so that SARS can tax the gains that accrued on your assets while you were still a resident. The resulting capital gains liability is commonly known as your exit tax.

It's worth understanding two things clearly. First, most South Africans assets are included in this deemed disposal, though immovable property in South Africa itself is excluded and only taxed when it is eventually sold. Second, this only happens once, at the point you officially cease tax residency, rather than being a recurring annual tax.

It's easy to underestimate this step, particularly if your portfolio includes offshore investments, shares, or other growth assets built up over many years. Since South Africa deems the disposal to occur while you are still a resident, there's also a real risk of paying tax twice, once in South Africa on the deemed gain, and again abroad when the asset is genuinely sold. Getting the timing, valuations, and documentation right from the outset makes a meaningful difference to when you ultimately owe.

Knowledge here really is power. The earlier you understand you exit tax exposure, the more room you have to plan for it properly, rather than being caught off guard on your way out. If you're planning your move and want clarity on what your exit tax might look like, we're here to help you work through it.

crsmondial.com • [email protected] • +27 82 411 3262

DID YOU KNOW? SARS'S AI-DRIVEN COMPLIANCE SOFTWARE HAS BLOCKED OVER R444B IN IMPROPER OUTFLOWS 💡

SARS isn't only collecting tax these days; it's actively identifying what shouldn't be leaving the country in the first place. AI models have significantly enhanced SARS's outflows, roughly 32% of total compliance revenue (Source: Cape Chamber of Commerce & Industry)

That's a meaningful signal of how far SARS's technology has advanced, and how closely cross-border transactions, structures, and filings are now being monitored. For anyone with money, assets, or income moving between South Africa and abroad, there's less room than ever for small oversights to go unnoticed. The systems in place today are faster, smarter, and more connected than they've ever been.

If your affairs are structured correctly and reported properly, this is simply reassuring news. If you're not entirely certain, it's worth finding out - on your terms, rather than SARS's.

Contact us for more information on tax matters:

crsmondial.com • [email protected] • +27 82 411 3262

SAFFAS IN THE UK: DO YOU KNOW OF THE "NON-DOM ABOLITION"? 🇿🇦🇬🇧

If you're South African who has settled in the UK in recent years, there's a change that deserves your attention; one with real implications for how your money is taxed on both sides.

For more than 200 years, the UK's "non-dom" status allowed residents whose permanent home was considered to be abroad to shelter their foreign income and gains from UK tax, provided that money stayed offshore. As of 6 April 2025, that regime no longer exists. UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed the government would abolish the non-dom tax regime, stating that everyone who makes their home in the UK should pay their taxes there.

In its place is a new residence-based system. Domicile no longer determines UK tax liability on foreign income; residency does. If you've been a non-UK resident for at least 10 consecutive years before arriving, you're given a four-year window in which foreign income and gains arising in a tax year are not subject to UK tax, regardless of whether those funds are bought into the UK. It's a generous transition, but it's temporary, not permanent. Once those four years end, you become liable for UK tax on your worldwide income and gains in the usual way.

The change extends beyond income tax, too. Non-UK property is now brought into the UK inheritance tax regime for long-term residents, ending the use of offshore trusts to shelter assets from inheritance tax once someone has been UK residents for long enough.

For South Africans who built up savings, investments, or trust structures at home or offshore under the assumption that non-dom status would offer indefinite protection, now is the right time to understand exactly where you stand - in the UK, and in South Africa. Overlook the UK side, and you may face full worldwide taxation sooner than expected. Leave your SA residency status unclear at the same time, and you risk double exposure rather than the protection you were hoping for.

If you're unsure which side of the four-year window you fall on, or what this means for your South African tax residency, we'd be glad to help you work through it.

crsmondial.com • [email protected] • +27 82 411 3262

WHAT IS THE 183-DAY RULE? 👀

The "183-day rule" is often treated as a universal test for tax residency, but it's more nuanced than that. South Africa applies it's own physical presence formula, and misreading it can mean paying tax twice, or not declaring where you should. Swipe through for a clear breakdown of how the days are actually counted.

crsmondial.com • [email protected] • +27 82 411 3262