2026 Trust Tax Filing Season:
Panel Discussion
Date:
23 September 2026
Time:
13:00-14:30
Platform:
Zoom
Cost:
Free
CPD Points:
1.5
What Has Changed and What Does It Mean in Practice?
On 8 September 2026, SARS published the changes and enhancements that taxpayers and practitioners can expect when the 2026 trust income tax filing season opens on 19 September 2026.
There are some important changes this year – from new section 25B reporting considerations and changes affecting special trusts and beneficial ownership, to the introduction of IT3(t) pre-population and SARS making greater use of information already reported to it.
But what will these changes actually mean when completing the 2026 trust return?
Join Sidney Fletcher, Michael Graskie and Cheryl Howard for a panel discussion as they work through the changes, consider the practical implications and discuss how trustees and practitioners should approach the 2026 filing season.
Date:
23 September 2026
Time:
13:00-14:30
Platform:
Zoom
Cost:
220.00
CPD Points:
1.0
Cost:
Free
CPD Points:
1.5
Key topics
The conversation will look at:
- What is changing on the 2026 ITR12T;
- Where the changes may create practical difficulties or areas of risk;
- What trustees and practitioners should be checking when completing the return; and
- How SARS' increasing use of data changes the way trust tax compliance needs to be approached.
Bring your questions too – the panel will leave time to deal with the practical issues and questions arising from the changes.
Who Should Attend?
Tax Practitioners and Professionals
Legal Advisors
Trust Administrators
Financial Advisors
Accountants
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Meet The Speakers
Sidney Fletcher
Senior Manager: Tax Compliance
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Sidney Fletcher is a qualified Tax Technician and Senior Tax Practitioner with more than 20 years of experience in tax, including extensive time at SARS specialising in taxpayer education and the administration of trusts and deceased estates.
As Senior Manager: Trust and Deceased Estates Tax Compliance at Tax Consulting South Africa, he brings extensive expertise in individual tax, trusts, and estates supporting clients with SARS engagement, compliance management and tax planning matters.
Michael Graskie
CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT
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Michael Graskie is a highly experienced Chartered Accountant with 34 years of professional expertise across insurance, auditing, public sector oversight, and taxation. He obtained his BCom and BCom Honours degrees from the University of Johannesburg, formerly Rand Afrikaans University (RAU), and went on to build a distinguished career grounded in technical excellence, governance, and tax administration. After beginning his career in the insurance industry, Michael discovered his passion for auditing and progressed to become a partner in audit practice. In 2009, following a period at the Auditor-General, he joined the South African Revenue Service (SARS), where he fulfilled a range of specialist and leadership roles. He later became part of the SARS Trust Product Team, where he concluded his SARS career and made a significant contribution to the administration and development of trust-related tax matters. In 2019, Michael completed an MCom Tax through the University of Pretoria, with research focused on the complexity of trust tax legislation in selected SADC countries. With his rare combination of academic insight, practical tax experience, and deep exposure to trust administration, Michael brings valuable perspective to professional training and discussion on trusts, taxation, compliance, and modernisation.
As part of his duties at SARS, Michael was responsible for training staff members on a wide range of trust-related matters. He was also involved in designing and supporting trust modernisation initiatives, including the development and rollout of improvements through the annual Trust Tax Return and other implementation channels. This experience positions him as a knowledgeable and practical voice on the evolving trust tax environment and the operational realities faced by both tax practitioners and administrators.
Cheryl Howard
Chartered Accountant
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Cheryl Howard is a Chartered Accountant with extensive expertise in estate planning, tax, and fiduciary services. Estate planning has become her core professional focus, where she brings decades of experience in guiding high net-worth families through complex legal, tax, and succession matters with clarity and care. Cheryl began her career at Deloitte before moving to Kessel Feinstein (now SNG Grant Thornton), specialising in Private Client Tax. In 1994, she joined BoE Private Bank, managing the Johannesburg office’s Private Client, Deceased Estates, and Fiduciary businesses.
By 2000, she had established her own multi-family office practice, dedicated to comprehensive tax, estate planning, and fiduciary solutions, while also overseeing venture capital and private equity investments on behalf of her clients. After selling her business in 2018 to an international fiduciary company, Cheryl led their South African office until 2020. Following a brief sabbatical, she re-established her independent practice, returning with a renewed focus on estate planning as the cornerstone of her professional work.
She has served the profession as a past Board member of the Fiduciary Institute of Southern Africa (FISA) and the Society of Tax and Estate Practitioners (STEP), and has contributed to SARS and Treasury projects. Cheryl frequently presents and publishes on estate and financial planning.
She has also appeared on TV and radio, sharing practical insights with a wider audience. Alongside her estate planning practice, Cheryl founded Four and Twenty (Pty) Ltd – an Accounting and Tax Compliance Practice, ensuring her clients have access to fully compliant tax and accounting support. She also continues to contribute to fiduciary training, venture capital and private equity initiatives, and philanthropic projects.
Through her work, Cheryl remains committed to helping families protect and preserve their legacies, while providing trusted guidance in all aspects of estate planning.