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The Daily Insight

Do you have to file tax return for partnership?

Author

Ava Robinson

Published Feb 10, 2026

Although a Partnership is not a legal entity and not registered for income tax, the Income Tax Act does refer to partnerships in several sections. All the partners will hand in a joint return for all the partners in respect of the business. Each partner must also hand in seperate tax returns as well.

What kind of taxes do you pay on a limited partnership?

Since a limited partnership is a flow-through entity, it does not have to pay taxes on its own. The business profits are distributed among the partners, who then include the income they receive in their personal tax returns. They may pay normal income tax on some portion of the income, while some portion may be taxed as capital gain.

How is a partnership taxed in South Africa?

Each partner must also hand in seperate tax returns as well. Each partner will be taxed in his/her share of the Partnership profits, so this means that each partner is taxed individually and not the Partnership itself. Each partner is also liable for his/her own share of normal income tax.

Do you have to pay tax on capital gains in a partnership?

This means that the individual partners are subject to tax on their share of the profits realised in the partnership. The partnership itself does not pay income or capital gains tax. However, it must still prepare and submit a tax return which details the taxable profits of the partnership and how those profits are split between the partners.

While a partnership does not pay tax, it still has to file an annual income tax return (called the Form P) to show all income earned and business expenses deducted by the partnership during the year.

How are partners reported on a tax return?

Instead, it “passes through” profits or losses to its partners. Each partner reports their share of the partnership’s income or loss on their personal tax return. Partners are not employees and shouldn’t be issued a Form W-2.

Can a LLC be taxed as a partnership?

If an LLC has two or more members, the Internal Revenue Service automatically treats it as a partnership. The LLC files an informational partnership tax return and the members also report the LLC’s income and expenses on their personal tax returns. However, an LLC can change these default classifications and choose to be taxed as a corporation.

Do you have to file a W-2 with a partnership?

Each partner reports their share of the partnership’s income or loss on their personal tax return. Partners are not employees and shouldn’t be issued a Form W-2. The partnership must furnish copies of Schedule K-1 (Form 1065) to the partner.