Electronic invoicing guide
South Africa

Currently the process is not regulated, however the SARS has implemented numerous rules and regulations concerning the requirements and conditions for utilizing electronic invoices. At the end of 2021, the South African government published a statute detailing the prerequisites for invoices issued by digital service providers registered for value-added tax purposes. This regulation took effect on December 10, 2021.
The requirements of the new regulation are more extensive than those of the previously applicable rules prescribed in Binding General Ruling 28 (BGR28). These are some of the elements introduced in the regulation:
• Name and VAT registration number of the e-services provider
• Name and address (business, residential or postal) of the recipient and VAT registration number if the recipient is registered (e-mail address is no longer sufficient)
• Individual serial number
• Date of issue
• A complete and adequate description of the electronic services rendered
• The consideration in money for the supply in the currency of any country and whether the consideration is reflected in the currency of the Republic
• The value of the supply and the amount of tax charged or a statement that the consideration includes a charge in respect of the tax and the rate at which the tax was charged; or any country other than the Republic: The amount of tax charged in the currency of the Republic or a separate document issued by the electronic service provider to the recipient of the electronic services reflecting the amount of tax charged in the currency of the Republic and the exchange rate used.
In September 2023, SARS launched a public consultation on modernizing its VAT regime. This includes moving to real-time transaction report which will help offer taxpayers pre-filled VAT returns. The aims include making compliance easier, fraud harder and lowering the compliance costs for taxpayers and SARS.