VAT accounting software for South Africa

VAT Accounting Software Built for South African Businesses

ProfitBooks is online VAT accounting software for South African small businesses. Raise tax invoices with VAT at 15%, record input tax on supplier invoices, reconcile your bank and see your VAT201 figures for each tax period. You submit the return on SARS eFiling, or your tax practitioner does. Free plan, no credit card.

Try ProfitBooks For Free Check if you must register for VAT
★★★★★ 4.5/5 on Capterra 100,000+ businesses Free plan
⚡VAT applied at 15%Standard-rated supply
📋VAT201 figures ready96 tax invoices included
🏦38 bank lines matched3 need your review

VAT accounting for South African retailers, traders, contractors and consultancies

Where VAT periods lose you a weekend, and what changes.

Most of the work at the end of a VAT period is catching up on things nobody recorded at the time.

Supplier invoices in a shoebox

Record each supplier invoice when it arrives and attach the document. The input tax is captured then, not in a rush on the last day.

VAT worked out in a spreadsheet

Every tax invoice carries its VAT line. Output tax and input tax add up in one summary, so there is no formula to check twice.

The bank statement, line by line

Import the CSV from your bank. ProfitBooks matches the lines to invoices and bills and shows you only the few it could not place.

From tax invoice to VAT201, without re-keying anything.

Your VAT accounting happens as you invoice and pay suppliers. When the tax period closes, the figures are already there.

The right VAT on every lineMark each item standard-rated, zero-rated or exempt once. ProfitBooks applies it on every invoice.
VAT 15%R48,645
VAT numbers on every contactStore customer and supplier VAT numbers and details once.
VAT no.AddressTerms
Tax credit notesReturns and corrections are tracked, so the period's VAT still adds up.
Credit noteLinkedAdjusted
Input tax from purchasesVAT on supplier invoices is recorded as input tax when you enter the bill.
BillsInput taxMatched
VAT on importsRecord the VAT you pay on imported goods with the purchase.
ImportVATRecorded
Reports for your practitionerVAT summary, VAT201 working and sales by tax code, a click away.
SummaryVAT201By tax code

VAT accounting software for the four jobs that fill your month.

Pick one and see what it looks like inside ProfitBooks. All figures are sample data.

Tax invoices with the VAT worked out for you

Choose a customer, add your items or services, and ProfitBooks adds VAT at the rate set on each item. Send the invoice by email and track it until it is paid.

  • Branded templates with your logo and banking details
  • Standard-rated, zero-rated and exempt items on one invoice
  • Estimates, quotations and sales orders that turn into invoices
  • Payment gateway links and automatic email reminders
  • Invoice in rand or in a customer's own currency
Explore invoicing →

How VAT works in South Africa, and where you stand.

VAT in South Africa is charged by registered vendors on taxable supplies and paid to the South African Revenue Service (SARS). Every fact below links to the SARS page it comes from.

  1. The standard rate is 15%. A limited range of goods and services is zero-rated (0%) or exempt from VAT. SARS: Value-Added Tax
  2. You pay over the difference. A vendor charges VAT on its sales (output tax), deducts the VAT it pays on business costs (input tax) and pays SARS the difference. SARS: Value-Added Tax
  3. Registration is compulsory above R2,300,000. It applies when taxable supplies in any 12-month period exceed that amount, or are likely to. This threshold applies from 1 April 2026. SARS: Register for VAT
  4. Voluntary registration starts at R120,000. Below the compulsory threshold, a business can choose to register under certain conditions once its supplies in the past 12 months exceed that amount. SARS: Register for VAT
  5. You apply through eFiling. Applications go through SARS eFiling or a virtual appointment booked on SARS eBooking. Where no risk is found, SARS issues the VAT reference number straight away. SARS: Register for VAT
  6. The return is the VAT201. How often you submit depends on your category: every one, two, six or twelve months. SARS: Tax periods for VAT vendors

Do you need to register for VAT?

Compulsory above R2,300,000 in any 12 months. Voluntary possible above R120,000. Enter your figure to see which applies to you.

Take the VAT out of a price

The amount you have

For a VAT-inclusive price, the VAT is the price × 15 ÷ (100 + 15). Enter an amount to see the split.

Uses the standard rate of 15%. Zero-rated and exempt supplies carry no VAT.

These tools give a quick answer, not tax advice. Check your own position with SARS or a registered tax practitioner.

Know how the business is doing, not just what you owe SARS.

50+ reports update the moment you record a transaction. You do not wait for month-end or ask your accountant how things look.

  • Balance Sheet, Profit & Loss and Cash Flow, always current
  • Sales by customer, item and month
  • VAT reports, aging, ledgers and day book for your practitioner
See all 50+ reports →

Watch how ProfitBooks accounting works

See invoices, receivables and payables in a short walkthrough of the app.

ProfitBooksReceivables and payables walkthrough Watch the demo Watch on YouTube ↗
Try ProfitBooks For Free →

Invoice from the site visit. Get paid before you drive home.

The ProfitBooks app for iOS and Android puts invoicing, expenses and your dashboard on your phone, in sync with the web app.

  • Create and send tax invoices and quotes from your phone
  • Record expenses and payments as they happen
  • Check outstanding amounts from anywhere
📱Download on theApp Store ▶Get it onGoogle Play

Free tools for South African businesses.

No sign-up needed. Use them for a quick sum, then keep the real numbers in your books.

All free calculatorsTax, discount and invoice tools in one placeOpen the tools → Discount calculatorSale price, savings or the discount % from two pricesWork out a discount → Estimate generatorA quote as a PDF in minutes. It is set up for Indian GST, so for a rand quote with VAT, use ProfitBooks itself.Make an estimate →

Your success is our success.

We only win when you do. From the day you sign up, real people and practical guides are on your side.

Real peoplenot bots In-app chatand email Mon–Fri5 days a week

Start free. Upgrade when you grow.

Every new account starts with a free 15-day SMB Pro trial, then moves to the free Startup plan unless you upgrade.

Startup

For trying it out or very small volumes

$0forever
Start free
  • 1 user
  • 10 invoices a month
  • 10 journal vouchers a month
  • Basic financial reports
  • 1 warehouse

Essential

For solopreneurs

$99per year
Start free trial
  • 1 user
  • 1,000 invoices a year
  • Invoice reminders and signature
  • WhatsApp integration add-on
Most popular

Growth

For growing teams and service firms

$199per year
Start free trial
  • Everything in Essential, plus
  • 10 users
  • 5,000 invoices a year
  • Payroll and multi-currency
  • 3 warehouses

SMB Pro

For established businesses

$349per year
Start free trial
  • Everything in Growth, plus
  • 25 users with custom roles
  • Unlimited invoices
  • Unlimited warehouses
  • Projects and auditor access

Prices in US dollars. Pay by card, American Express or PayPal. Compare every feature →

What South African customers say

“I used to dread every VAT period — chasing receipts and second-guessing my VAT. After switching to ProfitBooks, I handle it myself in under an hour. The VAT201 figures are ready in one click and I still share access with my accountant at year-end.”
Thabo MokoenaOwner, Mokoena Hardware, Johannesburg · on Capterra
“We run a wholesale business with four staff. ProfitBooks lets everyone do their job — my team raises invoices, my manager checks reports, and our accountant logs in each period for the VAT return. No one steps on each other's work. Our books have never been tidier.”
Nadia van der MerweDirector, Merwe Wholesale, Cape Town · on G2
“ProfitBooks has completely transformed how I manage my business finances. Creating a VAT tax invoice takes less than a minute and the automatic VAT means I never make errors.”
Sipho DlaminiFounder, Dlamini Electrical, Durban · on Capterra
“I used to spend a whole day each period on the VAT return. With ProfitBooks, it's done in 20 minutes. The software categorises everything automatically — I just review and file.”
Lerato KhumaloBookkeeper & Tax Practitioner, Pretoria · on G2
“As a manufacturer, I track inventory across warehouses and manage VAT on everything I sell. ProfitBooks handles it all seamlessly. Best accounting software for South African small businesses.”
Rajen NaidooDirector, Naidoo Manufacturing, Durban · on Software Suggest
Capterra4.5 / 5
G24.5 / 5
GetApp4.5 / 5
SoftwareSuggest4.5 / 5

VAT accounting software in South Africa: your questions

What is the best VAT accounting software for small businesses in South Africa?

ProfitBooks is a practical choice for South African small businesses that want VAT and bookkeeping in one place. It adds VAT to your tax invoices, records input tax on supplier invoices, reconciles your bank and shows your VAT201 figures for each tax period. It runs in any browser and on iOS and Android, with a free plan.

Do I need to be registered for VAT to use ProfitBooks?

No. You can keep your books on the free plan before you register. SARS makes registration compulsory once your taxable supplies in any 12-month period exceed its compulsory threshold, and you apply on SARS eFiling. The VAT registration checker on this page shows the current thresholds. When SARS issues your VAT number, add it to your business details in ProfitBooks.

Does ProfitBooks help with VAT and VAT201 returns?

Yes. ProfitBooks works out your VAT201 figures from your own data: output tax on sales and input tax on purchases, with zero-rated and exempt supplies kept apart. When the tax period closes, you review the figures and submit the VAT201 on SARS eFiling yourself, or give your accountant or tax practitioner read-only access to do it.

How often do I submit a VAT return in South Africa?

It depends on your tax period category. SARS places each vendor in a category with a tax period of one, two, six or twelve months, so not every business files every two months. ProfitBooks reports run for any date range, so you can pull your VAT figures for whichever period applies to you.

Can I invoice customers in rand and in other currencies?

Yes. Keep your books in rand and set a different currency on any customer you bill in US dollars, euros, pounds or another currency. Enter the exchange rate on the invoice and ProfitBooks records it in your books. Multi-currency invoicing is included from the Growth plan.

How much does ProfitBooks cost in South Africa?

ProfitBooks has a free Startup plan with no time limit: 1 user, 10 invoices a month, 50 customers and 10 products. Paid plans add more invoices and users, multi-currency, more warehouses and auditor access. Prices are listed in US dollars and Indian rupees on the pricing page, and there are no per-invoice charges.

How is ProfitBooks different from Sage Pastel or desktop accounting software?

Desktop accounting software is installed on one computer, so your books live on that machine. ProfitBooks runs in the cloud: open it in any browser or in the iOS and Android apps, and give your accountant their own login instead of sending backups. It adds VAT to invoices, reconciles your bank and includes 50+ reports.

Can I use ProfitBooks without any accounting knowledge?

Yes. ProfitBooks is made for business owners who are not accountants. You create tax invoices, record expenses and import your bank statement, and the software posts the VAT and accounting entries in the background. You do not need to know double-entry bookkeeping. Most users are set up and invoicing within 30 minutes of signing up.

Is my business financial data safe in ProfitBooks?

Yes. ProfitBooks keeps your data on secure cloud servers with encryption, automatic backups and role-based access. You decide who sees what: your staff see invoices, your accountant sees reports, and sensitive figures stay with admins. Because the books are in the cloud, they are safe if a laptop is lost, stolen or damaged.

More for South African VAT vendors.

Features, guides and comparisons that go with your VAT accounting.

View all the features →

Your next VAT period, already worked out.

Create your free account and send your first tax invoice in rand today.

Try ProfitBooks For Free →

Your books could be up to date before the day ends.