There is no single universal two-pot system application form that works across all retirement funds in South Africa. That is the first thing to understand, because many members spend time searching for a SARS or National Treasury form that does not exist. Each fund administrator runs its own process, with its own form or digital workflow, and submitting your application through the wrong channel is one of the most common reasons withdrawals get delayed or rejected outright.
This article explains where to find the correct two-pot system application form for your specific fund type, what information you will need to complete it, how the process flows from submission to payment, and what mistakes to avoid. Whether you are in an employer-sponsored pension fund, a provident fund, or a retirement annuity with Old Mutual, Sanlam, Allan Gray, Discovery, or Momentum, the core requirements are similar even though the platforms differ.
Why There Is No Standard Two-Pot System Application Form From SARS
SARS does not issue a two-pot system application form to members. This confuses a lot of people because SARS plays a critical role in the process, specifically through the tax directive it issues before any payment can be made. But SARS’s role is in the background. You do not approach SARS to start a savings pot withdrawal. You approach your fund administrator.
The reason for this comes down to the structure of the Pension Funds Act. Retirement funds are individually registered and regulated entities. Each fund holds its own rules, has its own trustee board, and contracts with its own administrator. When National Treasury and Parliament designed the two-pot retirement system through the Revenue Laws Amendment Act of 2024, they required all funds to implement the savings pot access mechanism, but they left the administrative form and process up to each fund. The result is that Old Mutual has its own form, Sanlam has its own form, Alexander Forbes umbrella fund members access their savings pot through an employer HR platform, and retirement annuity members at Allan Gray use that company’s dedicated member portal.
What is consistent across all of them is the information you must provide. Every two-pot system application form, regardless of administrator, requires your South African ID number, your tax reference number, your banking details, and the amount you want to withdraw.
Where to Find Your Fund’s Application Form or Portal
The first step is identifying who actually administers your fund. Many South Africans do not know this. Your monthly payslip should show a deduction for pension or provident fund contributions. Contact your payroll or HR department and ask two questions: which fund are you contributing to, and who is the fund administrator?
For retirement annuity holders, your administrator is whoever you opened the RA with. Allan Gray RA holders apply through allangray.co.za. Old Mutual RA members use the Old Mutual app or the Old Mutual online member portal. MySanlam handles Sanlam RA withdrawals. Discovery and Momentum both have dedicated savings pot sections within their member portals, accessible after login.
For employer-sponsored pension and provident fund members, the process depends on whether your employer uses an insurer-administered fund or an umbrella fund. Insurer-administered funds at Old Mutual Corporate, Sanlam Corporate, and Momentum Corporate typically give members access through an employer self-service portal, which your HR department can direct you to. Umbrella fund administrators like Alexander Forbes and NMG Benefits have their own member portals.
In practice, what most fund members find is that searching directly for their fund’s member portal by name is faster than navigating via the insurer’s main website. Search for “Alexander Forbes member portal” or “Sanlam Corporate member login” rather than starting at the main company homepage.
Some smaller or less digitally advanced funds still use paper-based two-pot system application forms. If your fund falls into this category, your HR department or fund administrator’s call centre can email or fax the form to you. The information required is the same; only the submission method differs.
What the Application Form Requires and How to Complete It Accurately
Every two-pot system application form asks for the same core set of information. Getting these details right the first time is what separates a five-day payout from a three-week process stuck in verification loops.
Your full name must match your South African ID document exactly. Not your preferred name. Not a nickname. The name on the form must correspond to what SARS and the fund have on record. A mismatch triggers a manual verification process that can add weeks to your timeline.
Your ID number must be a valid South African ID number. Your fund administrator already has this on file. If you are completing a digital form, it should auto-populate from your login credentials. On a paper form, double-check every digit.
Your tax reference number appears on any previous SARS correspondence, your IRP5 or IT3(a) certificate, or on your eFiling profile at efiling.sars.gov.za. Your fund administrator cannot proceed without this number. SARS requires it to issue the tax directive that authorises the payment.
Your banking details must match your ID document. This is the point where more applications fail than anywhere else. Capitec, Nedbank, ABSA, Standard Bank, and FNB all verify account holder details before a fund administrator can release funds. If you bank with Capitec under a maiden name and your ID reflects a different surname, the verification will fail. Use an account that matches your current legal name, or update your bank account name before applying.
The withdrawal amount you specify must be at least R2,000. You can request any amount up to your full savings pot balance. If you want to withdraw everything, indicate the full balance. If you want a partial withdrawal, specify the exact Rand amount. Some platforms give you the option to select “full balance” rather than entering a number, which avoids errors.
How the Form Submission Leads to Actual Payment: The SARS Directive Step
Once you submit your two-pot system application form, your fund administrator takes over. They do not pay you immediately. First, they submit a request to SARS for a tax directive.
SARS processes the directive based on your income profile and the withdrawal amount. The directive instructs the administrator on exactly how much tax to withhold before paying you. SARS taxes savings pot withdrawals at your marginal income tax rate for the year, not at the more favourable retirement lump sum tax rate. The retirement lump sum table applies at actual retirement. For savings pot withdrawals, your withdrawal amount adds to your other income for the year and gets taxed accordingly.
Here is what this looks like in practice. Refilwe earns R16,000 per month (R192,000 annually) and withdraws R18,000 from her savings pot. SARS treats her annual income as R210,000 for directive purposes. Her marginal rate in the 2025/26 tax year is 26%. SARS instructs her administrator to withhold R4,680. Refilwe receives R13,320 in her bank account.
A higher earner feels this more sharply. Thabo earns R35,000 per month (R420,000 annually) and withdraws R35,000 from his savings pot. SARS calculates his marginal rate at 36%. Tax withheld is R12,600. He receives R22,400.
The directive process typically takes 24 to 72 hours if your tax affairs are in order. If SARS flags a compliance issue, such as an outstanding tax return or an unresolved account debt, the directive will not be issued until the issue is resolved. This can extend the timeline by weeks. Before you submit any application form, log into eFiling, confirm that your returns are up to date for all years you were required to file, and make sure your account shows no outstanding obligations.
Application Form Requirements by Fund Type
| Fund Type | Where to Find the Form | Online or Paper | Who Submits to SARS |
| Employer pension fund | Employer HR portal or administrator portal | Usually digital | Fund administrator |
| Employer provident fund | Employer HR portal or administrator portal | Usually digital | Fund administrator |
| Retirement annuity | Insurer member portal (Old Mutual, Sanlam, Allan Gray, etc.) | Digital | Fund administrator |
| Preservation fund | Administrator member portal | Digital or paper | Fund administrator |
| GEPF | Not yet applicable | N/A | N/A |
Note that GEPF members are not currently included in the two-pot system and should not attempt to complete any savings pot withdrawal application. The GEPF operates under the Government Employees Pension Law, which differs from the Pension Funds Act, and was excluded from the 1 September 2024 implementation.
Common Mistakes on the Application Form That Cause Delays
Several recurring errors show up in applications that get delayed or rejected. Knowing them in advance removes most of the risk.
Submitting the application to the wrong entity is the most common mistake. Many pension fund members apply directly to the insurer (for example, going to Old Mutual’s website) without realising their specific fund requires applications to go through their employer’s HR system or an umbrella fund administrator. Always confirm the correct submission channel with your HR department or the fund’s member services line before you start.
Providing incorrect banking details is the second most frequent cause of delay. Even a single transposed digit in an account number can cause a payment to fail. Some administrators require a bank-stamped confirmation letter or a copy of a bank statement to verify your account before processing. Capitec and Nedbank have straightforward processes for generating such confirmation; standard bank statements from ABSA, FNB, and Standard Bank also work in most cases.
Not checking SARS compliance before submitting is a mistake that derails an otherwise complete application. A non-compliant SARS account means no directive, which means no payment. This is the single most common reason applications sit in limbo for weeks. Resolve any eFiling issues before you touch the application form.
A common situation is a member who files the form correctly, provides perfect banking details, and still waits three weeks because they had not filed their 2023 tax return. SARS holds the directive until the return is submitted and assessed.
Finally, some members specify a withdrawal amount lower than their actual need because they are unaware of the once-per-tax-year restriction. If you withdraw R5,000 in June and need another R8,000 in September, you cannot make a second application. Think carefully about the full amount you need before you submit, because your savings pot is locked for the rest of that tax year after a single withdrawal.
FAQ
Where do I get the two-pot system application form for my specific fund?
You get it directly from your fund administrator, not from SARS or National Treasury. For retirement annuities, log into your insurer’s member portal at Old Mutual, Sanlam, Allan Gray, Discovery, or Momentum. For employer pension or provident funds, ask your HR department which administrator manages your fund and request access to their member portal or the relevant paper form. There is no universal form that applies to all funds.
Can I complete the application form without a tax reference number?
No. A tax reference number is required on every two-pot system application form because your administrator needs it to apply to SARS for a tax directive before releasing payment. If you do not know your tax reference number, log into eFiling at efiling.sars.gov.za or call the SARS Contact Centre at 0800 00 7277 to retrieve it. You can also find it on any previous tax assessment or IRP5 certificate.
How long after submitting the application form does payment arrive?
Most members receive payment within five to fifteen business days, assuming the application is complete and SARS compliance is in order. The SARS directive step takes 24 to 72 hours under normal conditions. Once the directive is issued, most fund administrators process payment within two to five business days. Outstanding tax returns or a non-compliant SARS account are the most common causes of delays beyond this window.
Can I change or cancel my application after submitting the form?
This depends on the fund administrator and how far the application has progressed. Once a SARS directive has been issued and the payment instruction sent to your bank, cancellation is generally not possible. If the directive has not yet been issued, contact your fund administrator’s member services line immediately to request a withdrawal of the application. Do not assume a submitted form can be reversed without confirming with your administrator directly.
Read more: How to withdraw from two pot system
Identify your fund administrator before anything else. Confirm the correct application channel with your HR department or the fund’s member services. Gather your ID number, tax reference number, and matching bank account details. Then log into eFiling and verify your tax compliance is clean. Only then fill in and submit your two-pot system application form.
A correctly completed application with clean tax compliance typically processes within a week. An application with a single mismatched detail or a SARS flag can take three to four weeks. The preparation step is shorter than the delay. Treat the form as the final step in a short preparation process, not the starting point. If you want to understand exactly how much of your withdrawal SARS will retain before you decide on an amount, see our breakdown of two-pot withdrawal tax rates and marginal brackets for the 2025/26 tax year.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Tax rules and fund regulations may change. Speak to a registered financial advisor or visit sars.gov.za for guidance specific to your situation.
