VAT201 returns for every client: how accounting firms prepare, approve and submit in bulk
An accounting firm does not file one VAT201. It files one per VAT-registered client, from different ledgers, due on the same day. Here is how a firm prepares, gets approval, submits, loads payment and sends receipts for every client's VAT201 in one run, with the SARS due dates and categories as a reference.
On this page
- Why are VAT201s hard work for an accounting firm?
- What does a bulk VAT201 run look like in Fintura?
- How do accounting firms prepare and submit every client's VAT201 in one run?
- Connect SARS eFiling and each client's books
- Request every client's return from SARS
- Prepare the returns in bulk
- Send each client the amount to approve
- Submit to SARS in bulk
- Load the payments and ask clients to pay
- Send the submission receipts
- What happens after the VAT201s are submitted?
- What does it cost to run VAT201s in Fintura?
- What is a VAT201 return?
- When is the VAT201 due?
- How often does a vendor submit a VAT201?
- Frequently asked questions
For a VAT vendor, the VAT201 is one return a tax period. For an accounting firm it is one return per VAT-registered client: each prepared from a different ledger, each waiting on a different client's go-ahead, and all due to the South African Revenue Service (SARS) on the same day. The work is not the return. It is the same seven steps repeated across the client base before one deadline.
Fintura's VAT submissions runs those seven steps for every selected client at once, from the firm's own screen, and this guide shows that run first. The SARS facts a firm's clients ask about, what the return holds, when it is due and how often each category files, follow as a reference.
Why are VAT201s hard work for an accounting firm?
Filing one VAT201 is straightforward. Filing one for every client is a production line, and almost every step on it is done by hand, one client at a time:
- Request the return from SARS for the right period
- Export the VAT report from the client's accounting system
- Capture the figures on eFiling, field by field
- Send the client the amount and wait for their go-ahead
- Submit the return
- Create the payment and tell the client it is waiting
- Send the client proof that the return went in
Multiply that by every VAT-registered client, across Xero, Sage, QuickBooks and Zoho, and the last week of the month goes on data entry and email. Every figure captured by hand is also a figure that can come back as a SARS query.
What does a bulk VAT201 run look like in Fintura?
The walkthrough below shows the run from the firm's own screen. The steps that follow say what each stage does and what the client sees.
How do accounting firms prepare and submit every client's VAT201 in one run?
The bulk actions are the difference. You select the clients, and Fintura does each step for all of them, whichever accounting system each one uses.
- 1
Connect SARS eFiling and each client's books
Connect your SARS eFiling portfolios and map SARS taxpayers to your Fintura clients with auto-match. Then connect each client's accounting system, Xero, Sage, QuickBooks or Zoho, and map each connection to its client. A client with no connected ledger can still be captured manually.
- 2
Request every client's return from SARS
Request the returns SARS has issued, for every client in one action. Fintura also lists the periods where SARS expects a return and none has been filed, so an outstanding return becomes a draft in one click instead of a surprise.
- 3
Prepare the returns in bulk
Fintura imports each client's VAT figures from their ledger and prepares the VAT201, laid out line by line as SARS's VAT201 calculation, beside the VAT report it came from. Bulk prepare does this for every selected client in one run, even when the clients use different accounting systems.
- 4
Send each client the amount to approve
Fintura emails each client their VAT amount from your own email address, in your own wording. The client approves it, or rejects and disputes it, from the link in the email, and every response is kept in an audit trail that protects the firm. You can override and submit without approval, but best practice is to wait for it.
- 5
Submit to SARS in bulk
Select the approved returns and submit them to SARS in one run, across every accounting system your clients use. Each return's status is then followed through from SARS.
- 6
Load the payments and ask clients to pay
For every return with VAT payable, Fintura sends the payment through to SARS so it loads in the client's bank, for any bank that links with eFiling. Then it emails each client in bulk to approve the payment in their banking.
- 7
Send the submission receipts
Email every client the receipt for their submission in one bulk send, so each one has proof the return went in.
After that, the payments dashboard shows every loaded payment and its status. A client who has not paid yet gets a reminder email in one click, before the deadline rather than after it.
What happens after the VAT201s are submitted?
Three things are worth watching once the returns are in:
- Payment. A submitted return with VAT payable is only finished when the client has paid. The payments dashboard shows which payments are loaded and which are still waiting, by client
- SARS's response. SARS can open a verification on a return and ask for supporting documents. Fintura reads incoming SARS correspondence for every client and turns each letter into a task with its deadline
- The next period. Clients on monthly, two-monthly and six-monthly cycles fall due in different months. Fintura covers every VAT category SARS allocates, and its outstanding view shows which clients owe a return before the next deadline arrives
What does it cost to run VAT201s in Fintura?
The Tax module is priced per taxpayer, per month. VAT submissions start from R79 per taxpayer a month on the Submit tier. All In, at R99, adds both VAT and PAYE submissions and bulk submission. Every Tax tier includes AI SARS correspondence, and the full price list is on the pricing page.
What is a VAT201 return?
The VAT201 is the value-added tax return a registered vendor submits to SARS for each tax period. It carries three things:
- Output VAT: the VAT charged on standard-rated sales, with zero-rated and exempt supplies declared separately
- Input VAT: the VAT paid on purchases and expenses the vendor may claim, plus adjustments such as bad debts and changes in use
- VAT payable or refundable: the difference between the two. When output VAT is higher the vendor pays SARS; when input VAT is higher the vendor is due a refund
The return is not a blank form you download and fill in. On eFiling, SARS issues the VAT201 for each tax period and you request it under Returns Issued, for the current period, the next one or a past period, with the payment reference number (PRN) prefilled. A paper return is completed and signed at a SARS branch, which is why every firm files electronically.
When is the VAT201 due?
SARS sets two due dates, depending on how the return is filed:
| How the return is filed | Return and payment due |
|---|---|
| eFiling | The last business day of the month after the tax period ends |
| Manually, at a SARS branch | The 25th of the month after the tax period ends |
Both the return and the payment have to reach SARS by the date. A firm that files through eFiling, or through software connected to SARS, works to the later date. For the period that ended in September 2026, that is Friday 30 October 2026. The 25th falls on a Sunday this month, and it only applies to manual returns.
SARS can charge penalties and interest when a return or a payment is late. The amount depends on what is outstanding and for how long, so check the current rules on sars.gov.za rather than relying on a figure quoted elsewhere.
How often does a vendor submit a VAT201?
SARS allocates every vendor a tax period, called a category, and the vendor files a return at the end of each one:
| Category | How often | Periods end |
|---|---|---|
| A | Every two months | January, March, May, July, September, November |
| B | Every two months | February, April, June, August, October, December |
| C | Monthly | Every month |
| D | Every six months | February and August |
| E | Every 12 months | The vendor's year end |
SARS places a vendor in Category C, monthly, when its taxable supplies exceed R30 million in any 12-month period, when the vendor asks to file monthly, or when the vendor has not complied. Category D, every six months, covers certain farming businesses with taxable supplies under R1.5 million and micro businesses. Most small and medium businesses are in Category A or B, which is why a firm's client base never files on one cycle, and why the outstanding view matters: in any given month some clients have a return due and others do not.
Frequently asked questions
Can Fintura submit VAT201s for multiple clients at once?+
Yes. You select the clients and Fintura prepares each return from its ledger, sends each client the amount to approve, submits the approved returns to SARS, loads the payments and emails the receipts, each step in bulk across every accounting system your clients use.
Can a client dispute the VAT amount before the return is submitted?+
Yes. The client approves the amount, or rejects and disputes it, from the link in the approval email, and every response is kept in an audit trail. The firm can override and submit, but waiting for approval is best practice.
Does Fintura handle two-monthly, monthly and six-monthly VAT periods?+
Yes. Fintura covers every VAT category SARS allocates, so clients on two-monthly, monthly, six-monthly and annual cycles run in the same place, and the outstanding view shows which clients owe a return this month.
Can I submit a VAT201 straight from Xero?+
Your accounting system holds the figures, but the return itself goes to SARS. Fintura imports the VAT figures from Xero, Sage, QuickBooks or Zoho, prepares each client's VAT201 and submits it to SARS, so nothing is captured twice.
When is the VAT201 due in October 2026?+
For returns filed on eFiling, the return and payment are due by the last business day of the month after the period ends, which is Friday 30 October 2026. Manual returns are due on the 25th.
Where do I find the VAT201 form?+
On SARS eFiling, open Returns, then Returns Issued, and choose Value Added Tax (VAT201). You can request the current period, the next period or a past one, and the payment reference number is prefilled. A paper VAT201 is completed and signed at a SARS branch.
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