Questions people actually ask

Not a features list. If something here is wrong or missing, tell us and we fix the page, not just your answer.

Who is OptiTax built for?

Three kinds of user, each with their own door: an accounting practice running many clients through one review queue, an SME or sole trader doing its own books with its own dashboard, and an individual taxpayer sending slips and getting a free gap check before committing to anything.

What does a practice actually get?

One review queue that keeps the practice looking at what actually needs a decision rather than re-checking a whole file: client assignment, the WhatsApp client hub, year-on-year comparison and PDF-to-CSV export, built for the volume side of a practice rather than a single return.

What does an SME or sole trader get that's different?

Its own dashboard, its own entity and its own rules rather than the practice review queue: bank lines read and matched, VAT kept honest, and every business claim named against the section it rests on.

What are the five stages, in order?

The same five for every client, whether a practice has three or three hundred: 1) invite the client, who lands in a portal carrying the practice's own identity; 2) receive the evidence, slips, statements, IRP5s and certificates by WhatsApp, upload or email, each logged with a timestamp; 3) process and classify, where the engine reads each document, matches transactions to the return, and maps claims to SARS codes; 4) review the gaps, a queue of what is missing or unclear rather than a full re-check; 5) communicate and sign off, where the practitioner messages the client for anything outstanding, then reviews and signs off. No stage can be skipped.

Does OptiTax file the return itself?

No. The engine sorts, it does not file and it does not sign. Filing requires a registered SARS tax practitioner and a recognised controlling body, and SARS has no public e-filing API. OptiTax organises the evidence and the review; submission is completed by the practitioner, the same disclosure OptiTax states on its own how-it-works page.

How do clients actually send documents?

Wherever they already are: a photo of a slip on WhatsApp, an upload, or email. No app to install and no portal password for a client to remember before they can send anything. It lands in the practice's queue against that client's file.

Who is actually allowed to file my return?

Under section 240 of the Tax Administration Act, anyone who prepares a return for reward must be registered with SARS and belong to a recognised controlling body. A practitioner reviews the return, signs it off and submits it under their own name. OptiTax holds no SARS credentials and submits nothing itself.

Is what OptiTax shows me tax advice?

No. What the engine produces is an estimate and an organised file built from the documents sent to it, not tax advice and not a filed position. If a document is not sent, the amount on it does not exist as far as the engine is concerned, nothing is estimated into a gap to make a total look complete.

What happens if a document I need to send is missing?

It shows up as a named gap in the review queue rather than being silently assumed. Every claim is named against the section of the Income Tax Act it rests on, so both the client and the practitioner can see what it is being claimed under and what is still outstanding before sign-off.

Can a practice put its own name on this?

Yes. Clients see the practice's own name on the portal, the invitation and the report, powered by the OptiTax engine underneath. A registered SARS tax practitioner at that practice still reviews and signs off every return, the branding changes, the review and sign-off step does not.

What does OptiTax cost?

A free Gap Check with no card and no account, to see what is missing before committing to anything. For individuals: Personal at R99 a month, Business at R249. For practices: Starter at R1 500, Professional at R3 500, and white label priced by arrangement. Every price is per month and can be cancelled any time.

Do I have to talk to a salesperson before I see the price?

No. Pricing is published on the site before any call, a taxpayer pays for their own file and a practice pays for the whole book, not the other way round.