SARS Graduate in Training and CA Articles Programmes

Written by Thabo MokoenaSenior Education Editor

Reviewed & verified by Naledi KhumaloSenior Admissions and Bursaries EditorVerified

The South African Revenue Service runs its graduate intake under one name, the Graduate in Training (GIT) Programme, which SARS calls a long-term feeder system for bringing young talent into the organisation. Two programmes sit under it: a 24-month general programme for people with a three-year diploma or degree, and a 36-month chartered accountant articles programme for those who have finished CTA or a PGDA. Neither is a bursary; both are paid posts advertised as vacancies. Neither was advertised on 29 September 2026, and SARS does not publish intake dates for either.

GIT General, the 24-month route

The general programme runs for 24 months and moves trainees through rotations in business areas or themes of work. The minimum entry requirement is a three-year degree or diploma that is aligned to the specific opportunity SARS advertises, so the qualification that counts depends on the career path in the advert rather than on a fixed list of fields.

Learning is built around a Learner Activity Manual, which SARS subject experts wrote to map each trainee’s development journey and the outcomes expected at each stage. For specialised paths, SARS designs the skills content together with public and private learning institutions and professional bodies, so that trainees end the programme with the competencies that path needs.

CA articles at SARS over 36 months

The Chartered Accountant Articles Programme is accredited by SAICA and lasts 36 months, with rotations inside the SAICA framework. Candidates need a BCom Honours degree from an accredited institution, and must also have completed either CTA or a PGDA. Trainees are exposed to the seven areas of competence in the SAICA competency framework, with pervasive professional skills covered alongside:

• accounting and external reporting;
• auditing and assurance;
• financial management;
• management decision-making;
• internal audit;
• risk management and governance;
• taxation.

To qualify as CA(SA), SARS trainees must pass SAICA’s Initial Test of Competence (ITC, Part 1) and the Assessment of Professional Competence (APC, Part 2). Training contracts at SARS give articles in a public-sector setting where tax work is the core business, which is a different mix of exposure from articles at an audit firm.

The graduate talent pool is open all year

Between intakes, SARS keeps a standing “Talent Pool: Graduates” advert (requisition 7589, posted on 24 February 2026) on its recruitment portal. SARS describes the pool as a database of people interested in joining the graduate development programme, and says it contacts people whose profiles match when vacancies come up. The requirements in that advert are:

• at least a three-year National Diploma at NQF level 6 or a degree at NQF level 7, or a higher qualification at NQF levels 8 to 10;
• no work experience needed;
• applications encouraged from people aged 18 to 35, and from persons with disabilities;
• SARS’s employment equity policy is applied in selection.

SARS also keeps separate talent pools for auditors, IT and data analytics professionals, engineers, legal professionals and others, listed on its talent community page.

Applying through the SARS SuccessFactors portal

All SARS vacancies, including GIT intakes and the talent pools, are on the SARS recruitment portal, which is linked from the SARS vacancies page. Applicants create an account with an email address and password, accept the SARS data privacy statement, then search and apply; SARS’s step-by-step manual shows each screen, including how to check an application’s status and how to apply with a LinkedIn profile. The portal’s search lets candidates save a search as an email alert, which is the simplest way to hear when a GIT or CA articles advert appears.

Any appointment depends on pre-employment screening, vetting and integrity testing, and SARS staff must declare their private interests every year. On 29 September 2026 the portal carried 21 vacancies; the only trainee-type listings were the graduate talent pool and a 12-month Customs and Excise Cadet Learnership, with no GIT or CA articles advert.

Students who still need to fund a degree should look at the SARS bursary rather than these programmes. The SARS provider profile gathers the organisation’s student opportunities, and chartered accountant bursaries from other funders can carry a student through CTA.

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About SARS

Government agency (tax and customs)

The South African Revenue Service (SARS) collects taxes and administers customs for South Africa. Based in Pretoria, SARS collects the revenue that pays for public services such as schools, hospitals, social grants and police, and controls goods entering…

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Address

Lehae La SARS, 299 Bronkhorst Street, Nieuw Muckleneuk, Pretoria, 0181

Phone

012 422 4000

Website

sars.gov.za