The end of Adobe Flash has impacted SARS and efiling – here’s how to get around it
The discontinuation of the Flash Player component by Adobe has negatively impacted a limited set of Adobe forms/declarations which are currently available on SARS eFiling.
The revenue collector said that it has already begun the journey of migrating the old Flash Player-enabled forms from the Adobe Flash technology to the enhanced HTML5 technology however there are a few remaining forms which are still in the process of being modernised.
SARS said that there are multiple user-specific scenario’s which could prevent the workaround from functioning.
Below it listed some revised guidelines below for ease of reference of how to ensure that you can continue to access these forms.
Ensure that you have the latest updated version of the Microsoft Edge browser installed on your computer:
- Ensure that you clear your cache frequently and that your internet connection is stable;
- Open the Microsoft Edge internet browser and navigate to the SARS eFiling website and click on the padlock icon next to the URL and click on Site Permissions. On the Settings tab that opens, set the ‘Adobe Flash’ item to ‘Allow’ from the dropdown list:
- Navigate back to the SARS eFiling tab and in order for your changes to take effect click on the ‘Refresh’ button;
- When trying to access certain forms, the browser will then provide you with the following two options when you are trying to open one of these older Adobe Flash forms: ‘Update plugin’ and ‘Run this time’. Click on the ‘Run this time’ button. If you are prompted by your browser with a ‘Run Flash’ pop-up from the eFiling website when attempting to open a form please click on the ‘Allow’ button.
More information on compatibility
For an optimal eFiling experience, SARS suggested using one of the following browsers and higher: Chrome v41, Firefox v55, Edge v13, Safari v10 or Opera v55.
For some of the issues being experienced, SARS recommended that customers do the following:
Read: SARS branches will stay closed – as frustrations grow around Adobe Flash and online filing
