Don’t let Tax Mistakes Erode your SA Retirement Savings

Unlock your SA retirement savings— Correctly and Tax-Efficiently​

If you’ve left South Africa but your retirement annuity, preservation fund or pension remains stuck there, you are not alone.

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Many South African expats discover — often too late — that leaving the country does not automatically give them access to their retirement savings. The rules are complex, the administration is frustrating, and the tax consequences can span multiple jurisdictions.

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We help South Africans abroad withdraw and transfer their South African retirement savings tax efficiently.

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Why Is Your Money Still Trapped in South Africa?

Your new life is abroad.

Your future income and expenses are no longer in rands.

And you are now tax resident outside South Africa.

 

Yet your retirement savings remain:

• Locked into South African retirement funds

• Exposed to rand volatility

• Subject to SARS rules you may not fully understand

• Difficult to access without specialist guidance

 

Many clients come to us after months — even years — of getting nowhere with:

 

• Retirement fund administrators

• Prolonged and frustrating SARS correspondence

• Conflicting advice about “financial emigration” versus “ceasing South African tax residency”

• Uncertainty about the correct and lawful way to transfer funds offshore

 

The new two-pot retirement system has added yet another layer of complexity..

 

This is not a DIY process.

Mistakes can delay access or trigger unnecessary tax.

 

A Cross-Border Tax Problem — Not Just a SARS Issue

Withdrawing SA retirement funds as a non-resident is not merely a South African tax issue. It has international tax implications.

 

Key issues include:

• SARS lump-sum tax

• Exchange control and AIT tax clearance requirements

• Tax treatment in your new country of residence

• Double tax treaty relief and foreign tax credits

• Retirement fund-specific rules and timing

Handled incorrectly, people often overpay tax or face long delays.

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How We Help

The Institute for International Tax and Finance specialises in helping South Africans expats to withdraw their SA retirement savings tax-efficiently.

 

We assist with:

• Confirming South African tax non-residency

• Structuring withdrawals correctly

• Coordinating SARS, exchange control and fund processes

• Minimising your tax exposure across jurisdictions

 

Our focus is simple:

Unlock your retirement savings without creating future tax problems.