What each IT3(d) submission status means¶
In short: After you submit an IT3(d) file, each submission in IT3D Management → IT3(d) Submissions shows a status that tells you whether SARS accepted it, accepted it with warnings, partly accepted it, or rejected it. SARS can take anywhere from 5 minutes to 48 hours to respond, and the page refreshes itself while it waits.
Overview¶
When you submit an IT3(d) file (the file declaring your issued Section 18A certificates) to SARS, ActiveDonor records a status for each submission so you can see at a glance what happened. This article is the reference for every status you might see and what to do about it. For where these appear and how to open a submission to see its rejected/warning/accepted certificates, see Tracking IT3(d) submissions; for fixing rejected or warned certificates, see Fixing IT3(d) submission errors.
How long SARS takes to respond¶
A note on the submissions page reads: "The current estimated processing time is approximately [time]. Please note that actual times may vary between 5 minutes - 48 hours depending on SARS submission volumes." While any submission is still awaiting a response, the page refreshes itself every minute, and you can also click Refresh. So a submission sitting in a "waiting" status is normal — it doesn't mean anything went wrong.
The status table¶
While ActiveDonor waits for SARS, and after the response arrives, a submission shows one of these states:
| Status | Meaning | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| ⏳ SENT FOR SUBMISSION / WAITING FOR SARS | Submitted, no response yet (within 24 hours). | Nothing — the page auto-refreshes. Check back later (5 min–48 h). |
| ⏳ NO RESPONSE RECEIVED / TIMEOUT | More than 24 hours have passed with no response. | Download the submission file for your records; contact support if it persists. |
| 🟢 ALL ACCEPTED | Every certificate in the file was accepted. | Nothing — you're done for that file. |
| 🟢 N ACCEPTED | That many certificates were accepted. | Check the submission for any rejected/warning certificates alongside the accepted ones. |
| 🟡 Accepted with Warnings | Accepted, but SARS raised warnings on some certificates. | Open the submission's Warnings tab and review — see Fixing IT3(d) submission errors. |
| 🟠 Partial Upload | Some certificates accepted, some rejected. | Open the submission, fix the Rejected certificates and resubmit them — see Fixing IT3(d) submission errors. |
| 🔴 Unsuccessful Upload / ALL REJECTED | Every certificate was rejected. | Open the submission, fix the rejected certificates and resubmit — see Fixing IT3(d) submission errors. |
| 🔴 STRUCTURE FAILURE | The whole file was rejected for structural errors. | Resubmit all certificates; contact support if needed — see Fixing IT3(d) submission errors. |
| ⚪ NULL SUBMISSION | An accepted return with no certificates. | Nothing — it's a valid "nil" return accepted by SARS (response code R003). |
| 🔄 CORRECTION | A resubmission/correction file (submission number starting with "R") that was accepted. | Nothing — your corrected certificates were accepted. |
| ⬇️ GENERATED IT3D FILE | The file was generated for a non-ActiveDonor submitter (you downloaded it). ActiveDonor didn't submit it. | Submit the downloaded file to SARS yourself and check the status on eFiling. |
| ⚪ NOT TRACKED | The file was submitted directly to SARS by someone other than ActiveDonor, so ActiveDonor can't track its status. | Check the status on SARS eFiling. |
📌 Note: For a Null Submission the submission shows "This null submission has been accepted by SARS with response code R003." For a Structure Failure it shows "File Invalid Structure — Please resubmit all certificates - contact support if you need assistance."
Common issues & solutions¶
| What you see | What it means | How to fix it |
|---|---|---|
| A submission is stuck on WAITING FOR SARS. | SARS hasn't replied yet (5 min–48 hours). | The page refreshes itself; check back later. |
| NO RESPONSE RECEIVED after 24 hours. | SARS hasn't replied in the expected window. | Download the submission file for your records and contact support if it persists. |
| The status shows NOT TRACKED. | A non-ActiveDonor submitter sent the file, so ActiveDonor can't read SARS's response. | Check the status on SARS eFiling. |
| STRUCTURE FAILURE. | The whole file was rejected for structural errors. | Resubmit all certificates; contact support if needed — see Fixing IT3(d) submission errors. |
| Partial Upload or ALL REJECTED. | SARS rejected some or all certificates. | Open the submission, fix the rejected certificates and resubmit — see Fixing IT3(d) submission errors. |
FAQ¶
How long does SARS take to respond? Anywhere from 5 minutes to 48 hours depending on SARS volumes. The page auto-refreshes while it waits.
What does Partial Upload mean? Some certificates were accepted and some rejected. Open the submission to see the Rejected, Warnings and Success tabs.
What does Accepted with Warnings mean? SARS accepted the certificates but flagged warnings on some. Open the submission's Warnings tab to review them.
Why does my submission say NOT TRACKED? The file was submitted to SARS directly by someone other than ActiveDonor (an "Other" submitter), so ActiveDonor can't read SARS's response. Check eFiling.
What is a NULL SUBMISSION? An accepted return that contained no certificates — a valid "nil" return, accepted by SARS with response code R003.
What's a CORRECTION submission? A resubmission of corrected certificates (its submission number starts with "R") that SARS accepted.
Related¶
- Tracking IT3(d) submissions
- Fixing IT3(d) submission errors
- Generating the IT3(d) file for SARS
- IT3(d) settings: Submitting Entity vs Reporting Entity
- Section 18A issued and revoked reports
Need a hand?¶
If a submission stays in NO RESPONSE RECEIVED or STRUCTURE FAILURE and you're not sure why, contact ActiveDonor support with the submission number and we'll take a look.