Even as the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to help file tax returns is on the up in South Africa – with two local companies launching a bot to coincide with the tax season – the buzz is wearing off in the United States.
The South African Revenue Services’ (SARS’) 2026 Filing Season got underway with auto assessments from 1 to 12 July, while non-provisional taxpayers can submit returns from 13 July to 23 October. Provisional taxpayers and trusts have until 22 January 2027 to file.
Daniel Swiegers, director at TaxTim, says pick up and user satisfaction of TimAI “has been far above what we have anticipated” following the launch of a beta version of the bot in June, ahead of the local start of tax return filings season on 13 July. TimAI officially went live on 13 July, the day after the SARS auto assessment period – which didn’t require any input from taxpayers – ended.
For the 2026 season, TimAI is helping users by answering and explaining any tax-related questions. It can explain rules, do calculations and flag issues, but it cannot file a return, make a payment, or communicate with SARS. Its scope is limited to tax, not a general assistant.
Tim’s the man
Swiegers says the company has seen more than 100 000 messages, with a 92% approval rating from those who sent messages. This, he notes, underscores “the efforts that have gone in to ensuring TimAI is actually helpful but also has adequate guardrails to ensure accuracy”.
“We have seen many users using it to help them understand their documents; helping them complete their return on TaxTim and enhance their understanding of general concepts which were previously difficult to understand,” says Swiegers.
TaxTim has also had several cases where it flagged risks to users that they would previously not have been aware of, such as the need for supporting documents, situations where the user puts an amount in the wrong place or duplicates amounts, says Swiegers.
TimAI has also aided in improving the service and turnaround time provided by its “human” helpdesk, says Swiegers.
Three weeks in
At the same time, the company behind TaxClaw.AI says the South African AI platform has registered 70 000 users in the three weeks since its launch, reflecting growing demand from taxpayers seeking to validate their 2026 SARS auto-assessments.
Launched in the first week of July as the 2026 tax season got under way, TaxClaw.AI has attracted taxpayers seeking reassurance over the accuracy of their auto-assessments, including those who received small refunds, unexpected tax bills or were required to complete a manual eFiling submission, the company says in a statement.
Founder Ben Chaud says: “This started as a highly-specialised tool used internally by our tax specialists to stress-test internal filing data, but when we saw the sheer volume of ordinary South Africans wondering about auto-assessments, we decided to democratise the technology and make AI analysis completely free for everyone.”
This comes as SARS is increasingly turning to AI to clamp down on non-compliant taxpayers, with a particular focus on high-net worth individuals. At its disposal are tools such as advanced data analytics and AI “to detect tax-compliance risks, close the tax gap and improve overall compliance rates,” it says on its website.
Another new development is the Auto Assessment Waiting Room, which enables taxpayers to read their auto-assessment information while they wait for the platform to become available during busy periods. SARS has also introduced a MobiApp to manage periods of heavy traffic.
Kulani Dhumazi, a master tax practitioner (SA), writes in the latest issue of TaxTalk from the South African Institution of Taxation, that AI enables SARS to identify anomalies and generate taxpayer risk profiles across multiple data sources.
Dr Roderick van Rooyen, an independent customs and global trade consultant, argues that humans remain accountable for decisions made with the assistance of AI.
Cold feet in the US
Writing for the Journal of Accountancy in February, Martha Waggoner said the use of AI instead of a tax professional to file tax returns in the US is dropping.
In 2026, 37% of respondents say they would consider trusting AI over hiring a tax professional, down from 43% last year – and while acceptance varies by generation, Waggoner notes the level of comfort dropped across every age group in that time.
Uptake is low in companies too. Global advisory firm PwC’s Taxing Times Survey 2025 found only 5% of the 200 companies it surveyed are using SARS’ chatbot to clarify questions, though 70% of those who did found it helpful.
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