Tax Technician NQF Level 06

The Occupational Certificate: Tax Technician NQF6 prepares learners for working as tax technicians, and it equips them with the skills that they need to submit tax returns and deal with tax compliance issues. This qualification also aims to enhance the quality of tax compliance services provided to the public by private practitioners and by SARS.

Once learners have completed this qualification, they will be able to register with a regulating authority and with SARS should they adhere to the requirements, as required by legislation. This qualification, however, does not qualify learners to be registered as accounting officers.

The QCTO will issue the Occupational Certificate: Tax Technician to learners who successfully complete the Qualification.

Institutional Higher Education of South Africa (IHESA) is accredited by the QCTO to offer the Occupational Certificate: Tax Technician NQF6 and was the first skills provider registered with the QCTO to offer this qualification. This has been confirmed by the South African Institute of Tax Professionals (SAIT).

• QCTO registration number: Occupational Certificate: Tax Technician QCTO: 07-QCTO/SDP180321-1059

This qualification is recognised by the SAIT for full membership and professional status, and it leads to the designation Tax Technician (SA) should a learner comply with the SAIT’s membership requirements for designation purposes.

Course duration:

Full Qualification:

Learners who adhere to the minimum requirements for entry into the full qualification are offered a 3-year programme that can be completed according to the blended learning via virtual learning method.

RPL Programme:

The RPL Programme consists of a Taxation Academic Bridging Programme and a Workplace Experience Assessment done via a Portfolio of Evidence (PoE) entailing a logbook or training log.

Due to SAIT’s new regulations received in Dec 2020. Credo is awaiting the final RPL process documentation from SAIT. As soon as the documentation has been received Credo will confirm the new RPL process for the Taxation Academic Bridging Programme and a Workplace Experience Assessment done via a Portfolio of Evidence (PoE).

Entry requirements:

Full Qualification
Learners must hold one of the following:

• National Senior Certificate
• National Senior Certificate (Vocational) at NQF4

This programme is for learners with no tertiary qualifications or tax work experience.

OR

RPL Programme (for learners with tax experience)

This will only be confirmed once SAIT’s new RPL regulations have been received.

Assessment and award:

There are Five (5) examinations that learners need to pass prior to obtaining the Qualification:

• 4x semester Initial Test of Competence (ITC) exams, which is part of the academic programmes.
• External Integrated Summative Assessment (EISA), after successful completion of all three (3) of the components.

The Knowledge and Practical components are covered by Credo Business College. All learners who have passed the Tax Technician ITC assessments have successfully completed the first two (2) components of the Qualification. For the Workplace Experience component, the learner will complete and submit a Logbook / Portfolio of Evidence as part of the Learnership (full qualification). The Tax Technician Learnership can only be completed in 36 months. The RPL duration is subject to confirmation and learners need to apply for this process.

After successful completion of the Work Experience component and submitting the statement of results for the Tax Technician ITC exams and workplace experience, learners will be deemed as EISA ready to write the Tax Technician External Integrated Summative Assessment (EISA), compiled and assessed by SAIT. QCTO and SAIT will review all learners deemed as EISA ready. QCTO will then upon their evaluation approve each learner as EISA ready. Only the learners who are approved by QCTO as EISA ready, will be allowed to writ the EISA exam.

Successful learners will obtain the Occupational Certificate: Tax Technician (NQF Level 6) issued by the QCTO. The Qualification is recognised by SAIT for full membership and professional status should a learner comply with the entry requirements for membership. The Qualification leads to the designation Tax Technician (SA).

Additional information:

After successful completion of this qualification, learners can further their studies with the Occupational Certificate: Tax Professional (NQF8).

Qualification Overview

The Occupational Certificate: Tax Technician consists of three (3) components:

• Knowledge is completed through studies at an accredited training provider;
• Practical is completed through studies at an accredited training provider or approved workplace providers;
• Workplace Experience is completed at an approved workplace provider or through RPL and Mentorship Programmes at tax workplace providers.

Knowledge component – to be completed through Credo Business College:

• Tax Legislation
• Tax Administration
• Taxation of Business
• Taxation of Individual
• Value Added Tax
• Commercial Law
• Financial Accounting
• Basic Principles of Cost and Management Accounting
• Management of Business
• Ethics and Risks

Practical component – to be completed through Credo Business College or through an approved workplace provider:

• Complete registration documents or register taxpayer online
• Draft, check, and classify tax records and source documents
• Compute tax liability using relevant legal, accounting, and tax principles
• Submit tax returns
• Produce tax packs for audit and review functions
• Analyse assessments
• Initiate and manage the ADR process
• Maintain ethical, fiduciary, and administration responsibilities related to a tax technician

Workplace experience component – to be completed through an approved workplace provider or through RPL and a Mentorship Programme:
(Note: Should a learner not be exposed to a certain key focus area in the workplace, an RPL Case Study will be provided to be completed as part of the PoE.)

• Complete registration documents or register taxpayer online
• Draft, check, and classify tax records and source documents
• Capture tax liability using relevant legal, accounting, and tax principles
• Submit tax returns
• Produce tax packs for audit and review functions
• Analyse assessments
• Participate in the ADR (objection only) process
• Maintain timesheets

Training methodology and learner support:

Blended Learning via Online/ virtual Learning
Credo Business College offers a full online experience. The online platform is designed to be mobile/tablet-first and completely responsive, as more of our busy learners choose these devices to work on the move. Studying online is a great way to gain a qualification while still being able to work, parent, or juggle the many commitments that define most adult lives. If a learner feels at ease using digital technology, is happy to study independently, and is looking for a learning style that offers flexibility, then blended learning via online learning is an ideal option. Learners have 24/7 access to a huge range of digestible resources and engaging content to aid their learning. These include:

• dedicated tutor support via email and online
• interactive quizzes, and self–assessment tests
• study guides for key focus areas
• recordings per unit standard
• study plans
• assignment submission and feedback reviews
• regular learning checks and practice assessments
• facilitator’s dashboard, which enables facilitators to see where the learner is in their course and to reach out if a student is struggling or would benefit from a revision class in a particular area.
• designated mentor that will assist with any questions on the workplace simulated case studies

Learner Support

The focus and success of Credo Business College’s learner support lies within our mentoring strategy. We use the mentoring process to build relationships, which gives the mentor an opportunity to share their professional and personal skills and experiences, and to – through the process of sharing, talking, and listening – provide our learners with a safe space in which they can explore, grow, and develop. Typically, mentorship is based on a one-to-one relationship, but it can also work in a group. It focuses on encouragement, constructive feedback, openness, mutual trust, respect, and a willingness to learn and share.

We implement the mentorship strategy in every learning programme.

Part of our monitoring strategy is to evaluate learners on an ongoing basis to establish whether they are meeting their milestones. Learners are then identified as low risk, medium risk, or high risk. High risk learners receive immediate attention, which includes personal mentoring. We’ve used this monitoring and mentoring strategy with great success in various projects, as it gives an immediate understanding of how the learners are doing.