IT3(b) — The Complete Guide to Your Investment Income Certificate
The IT3(b) is a certificate your bank or investment manager issues to you, showing the interest and investment income you earned during the tax year. This guide explains what it covers, why you might not have received one, and how to use it on your ITR12.
What is the IT3(b)?
The IT3(b) — Certificate of Income: Investments, Property Rights and Royalties — shows interest, investment income, property rights income, and royalty income paid to you during the tax year.
Source: SARS — IT3 Data Submission page
You don't complete this form: Unlike forms such as the ITR12, you don't fill in or submit an IT3(b) yourself. Your bank, investment manager, or other reporting institution issues it to you, and also reports the same data directly to SARS.
Source: SARS — Third-Party Data page
Reporting institutions are legally required to submit this information under Section 26 of the Tax Administration Act.
Source: SARS — Third-Party Data page
Who issues it, and why you may not have one
The following institutions are required to report this data to SARS:
- Banks and Co-operative Banks
- Postbank
- Other registered financial institutions
- Organs of state issuing bonds or similar instruments
- Any person paying interest to or for the benefit of a foreign person (where regarded as South African-sourced)
Source: SARS — Third-Party Data page
There's a reporting threshold: An institution only needs to issue you an IT3(b) if the total interest you earned across all your accounts with that institution, in a tax year, exceeds a specific amount SARS sets from time to time. If the institution can't determine all your accounts, it instead reports per account, using a separate threshold.
Source: SARS — Income Tax System documentation
Why this matters: If your interest income from a particular institution was relatively small, you may not receive an IT3(b) at all — but that doesn't necessarily mean the income isn't taxable. If you earned interest, even without a certificate, you may still need to declare it on your ITR12.
Source: Established SARS income-declaration principles
How it's used on your ITR12
SARS uses the IT3(b) data your institution submits to pre-populate your local and foreign interest income on your ITR12. Your job is to check these pre-filled figures against your own certificate and statements — not to submit the IT3(b) itself.
Source: SARS — Third-Party Data page; SARS — Comprehensive Guide to the ITR12
If a figure looks wrong: Compare it against your own copy of the certificate (or your account statements). If there's a genuine discrepancy, this typically traces back to the institution's reporting — contact them directly to query or correct it.
Taxpayers and registered representatives can view their tax certificates or third-party data files directly on eFiling.
Source: SARS — Third-Party Data page
Full guide to completing your ITR12 →Married in community of property?
If you're married in community of property, the certificates received by both you and your spouse — for local interest, foreign interest, and foreign dividend income — are required when completing your ITR12.
If you're married out of community of property, only your own certificates are required.
Source: SARS — Comprehensive Guide to the ITR12 Income Tax Return for Individuals
Other IT3 certificates — for context
The IT3(b) is one of several similarly-named third-party certificates. The most relevant for individual taxpayers:
| Certificate | Covers |
|---|---|
| IT3(a) | Employment income or lump sums where no PAYE was withheld (see also our IRP5 guide) |
| IT3(b) | Interest, investment income, property rights, and royalties (this guide) |
| IT3(c) | Income from the disposal of unit trusts or other financial instruments |
| IT3(s) | Tax-free investment account activity |
| IT3(t) | Amounts vested to you as a trust beneficiary |
Source: SARS — Third-Party Data page; SARS — IT3 Data Submission page
IRP5 guide — for employment income certificates →Frequently Asked Questions
A certificate showing interest, investment income, property rights, and royalty income paid to you during the tax year, issued by your bank or investment manager and also reported directly to SARS.
No. Your bank or investment manager issues it to you and reports the data to SARS directly — you simply use it to check the pre-populated figures on your ITR12.
Institutions only issue one if your total interest across all accounts with them exceeds a specific SARS threshold. If your income was below that threshold, you won't receive a certificate, but you may still need to declare the income if it's taxable.
An IRP5 covers employment income and lump sums where PAYE was withheld. An IT3(b) covers interest, investment income, property rights, and royalties.
Both you and your spouse's certificates for local interest, foreign interest, and foreign dividend income are required. If you're married out of community of property, only your own certificates are needed.
Yes. Taxpayers and registered representatives can view their tax certificates and third-party data files via eFiling.
Related guides and tools
Related forms
Sources and references
All IT3(b) certificate information on this page is sourced from, or verified against, the following official and authoritative references:
- Tax Administration Act 28 of 2011 (Section 26) — Primary legislation governing third-party data reporting
- SARS — Third-Party Data — sars.gov.za/businesses-and-employers/third-party-data/
- SARS — Comprehensive Guide to the ITR12 (IT-AE-36-G05) — sars.gov.za/types-of-tax/personal-income-tax/
Last reviewed: June 2026. Next review: upon any update to the IT3(b) source code list or third-party data BRS.