Resubmit EMP501 and IRP5/IT3(a) certificates for previous tax years

There are cases where you need to resubmit your declaration or certificates for prior tax years from Sage VIP Classic or Sage VIP Premier. This guidance outlines key considerations before you resubmit to the South African Revenue Service (SARS).

Key considerations before you resubmit

• Filing season for the original submission has closed, so you must avoid overwriting existing certificates
• You'll need software upgrades and manual file changes to meet historical requirements
• Each tax year uses a specific Business Requirement Specification (BRS) layout
• SARS e@syFile™ Employer isn’t backwards compatible with files from newer payroll releases
• Align your payroll release to the correct tax year BRS
• Some scenarios require direct engagement with SARS
• Review both payroll data and SARS e@syFile™ Employer to choose the correct approach

Technical limitations and risks

• Resubmissions before 2017 from Release 4.7a or higher trigger import errors in SARS e@syFile™ Employer
• Resubmissions before 2017 from releases lower than 4.6a also trigger import errors
• Submitting a tax year from the wrong payroll release results in missing or extra fields
• Pre-submission validations results in failure and require manual file edits in Notepad
• Resetting a Live Run can change previously submitted certificate numbers
• Cancelling incorrect certificate ranges can affect completed submissions

Alternative options

• You can sometimes request a resubmission directly in SARS e@syFile™ Employer instead of regenerating files
• Manual certificate capture in e@syFile™ Employer is easier than solving file or versions issues
• Older IRP5 codes may no longer exist in current e@syFile™ Employer versions
• Check the relevant BRS to confirm valid codes for that tax year

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