SARS confirmed a simplified compliance process introducing the IT3(BO) register, centralising partnership information through one annual submission.
South African Revenue Service (SARS) announced, on 22 April 2026, a simplified compliance framework for partnerships through the introduction of a new Beneficial Owner Register IT3(BO), aimed at streamlining beneficial ownership reporting obligations under tax administration rules.
During the 2024 Filing Season, SARS issued a notice implementing a requirement for taxpayers in a partnership to declare the details of their partners on the ITR12, in line with the beneficial-owner regulations under the General Laws (Anti-Money Laundering and Combating Terrorism Financing) Amendment Act 22 of 2022. This requirement resulted in a significant administrative burden, as each partner was required to provide details of every other partner, excluding themselves, on their annual Income Tax Return (ITR12).
To address this issue, SARS is introducing a single eFiling form known as the Beneficial Owner Register IT3(BO). Under the revised process, a designated partnership representative will be required to annually register, complete, and submit all partners’ information for the partnership using this form. Following submission and processing, SARS will issue an IT3(BO) unique number.
The IT3(BO) unique number will then be used by partners when declaring partnership details on their ITR12, removing the need to individually enter full partner information in personal tax returns.
Under the procedure, the partnership must nominate a representative who will access the IT3(BO) form via eFiling and capture the details of all partners before submission to SARS. Once processed, SARS will issue a “Beneficial Owner Register for Partnership Notice (IT3[BO])” to the representative, containing the IT3(BO) unique number. This number will allow retrieval of previously submitted partnership data for updates and resubmission where necessary.
SARS will also issue a “Beneficial Owner Partner in a Partnership Notice” to each partner, which will include the IT3(BO) unique number. Partners must use this number when completing their annual Income Tax Return (ITR12) for partnership-related disclosures.
SARS confirmed that the IT3(BO) form must be submitted annually by the designated representative, and each partner will only require the unique IT3(BO) number to declare partnership details on the ITR12.
Further details are available in IT-AE-36-G07 – Guide to the Beneficial Owner Register for Partnership IT3BO Form – External Guide.
