Debt Review in South Africa
Debt review is a legal process under section 86 of the National Credit Act 34 of 2005. A debt counsellor registered with the National Credit Regulator assesses whether you are over-indebted and, if you are, proposes a re-arrangement of your payments that a Magistrate's Court orders. It is a real protection, and it is a multi-year commitment with consequences that are usually undersold to people at their most desperate.
We sell nothing here. We are not debt counsellors and take no referral fees. Everything below is checked against the Act, its regulations and the NCR's own published documents, with the section numbers shown so you can verify it yourself.
Free tools
No email required. Note what none of these do: declare you over-indebted. Under section 79 that determination is made by a debt counsellor or a court on all the available information, so our tools show you which statutory indicators are present and stop there.
Am I Over-Indebted? Assessment
Walks the section 79(1) criteria a debt counsellor actually applies and shows which statutory indicators are present in your situation. It will not tell you that you are over-indebted, because no tool lawfully can.
Over-Indebtedness Indicator Calculator
Runs the regulation 24(7)(a) test on your numbers: do your total monthly debt payments exceed your net income minus your living expenses? This is the arithmetic debt counsellors start from.
Monthly Budget Planner
Income against expenses, using the same line items regulation 24 requires on the Form 16 application. Arrive at a debt counsellor with the numbers already assembled.
Payment Reduction Estimator
Illustrates how extending a term changes a monthly instalment, and what it costs you in extra interest. An illustration only - your actual plan is negotiated with your credit providers and confirmed by a court.
Debt Repayment Timeline Calculator
How long a re-arranged plan takes to clear at a given monthly payment, and what the total repaid works out to. Shows the trade-off nobody mentions: a lower instalment means a longer, more expensive plan.
Consolidation vs Debt Review Comparison
The two get sold as alternatives but only one gives you statutory protection against enforcement. Side-by-side on cost, protection, credit access and who each actually suits.
What Happens to Your Credit Record
What the law requires the bureaux to record during debt review and to expunge afterwards, with the section references. No score-point predictions - the bureaux do not publish their models.
Guides
The honest version, including the parts that guides written by debt counselling firms tend to leave out - the section 88(1) ban on new credit, the fee you owe if you withdraw, and the refund you are owed if your counsellor misses the 60-business-day deadline.
What Is Debt Review in South Africa? (NCA Section 86, Plain English)
Debt review is a legal process under section 86 of the National Credit Act where a registered debt counsellor assesses whether you are over-indebted and, if you are, proposes a court-ordered re-arrangement of your payments. What it protects, what it costs you, and who it is wrong for.
How to Apply for Debt Review in South Africa: Step by Step
Applying for debt review under section 86 of the NCA: how to verify your debt counsellor is NCR-registered, what Form 16 asks for, what documents to gather, the fee addendum you must sign, and the statutory deadlines your counsellor has to meet.
The Debt Review Process Explained: Form 16, 17.1, 17.2 and the Court Order
Every stage of the South African debt review process with the statutory deadline attached: Form 16 application, Form 17.1 within 5 business days, the section 86(6) determination within 30 business days, Form 17.2, consent order or court referral, and Form 19 at the end.
How Much Does Debt Review Cost in South Africa? (Fees Explained)
The debt review fee structure: R50 application fee prescribed by law, the restructuring fee that is the lesser of your first instalment or a cap, 5% aftercare dropping to 3%, the R750 consent order fee, and the 100% refund you are owed if your counsellor misses the 60-business-day deadline.
Debt Review vs Debt Consolidation: Which Is Right for You?
Debt review is a legal process under section 86 of the NCA with court protection against enforcement. Debt consolidation is an ordinary loan with none of that protection. An honest comparison of what each does, what each costs, and who each actually suits.
Debt Review vs Administration Order (Section 74) in South Africa
Administration orders fall under section 74 of the Magistrates' Courts Act and are limited to total debts of R50,000. Debt review under the National Credit Act has no debt ceiling. How the two differ, and why the R50,000 threshold rules most people out.
Debt Review vs Sequestration: Understanding Your Options
Sequestration under the Insolvency Act sells your estate and can discharge your debts, but rehabilitation takes at least four years and normally requires a court application. Debt review re-arranges payments and keeps your assets. An honest comparison of both.
Your Rights During Debt Review (Section 88(3) Protection, and Its Limits)
What section 88(3) of the NCA actually protects you from, when a credit provider may terminate under section 86(10), why they cannot terminate once the matter is filed in court, and the section 86(11) power for a court to order the review to resume.
Can You Be Fired or Retrenched for Being Under Debt Review?
There is no National Credit Act provision that stops an employer dismissing you for being under debt review - the protection comes from labour law. What the Labour Relations Act requires, why debt review is not a fair reason for dismissal, and the real exceptions for roles requiring credit vetting.
How to Get Your Debt Review Clearance Certificate (Form 19)
Section 71 of the NCA requires a debt counsellor to issue your clearance certificate within seven days of you satisfying the re-arrangement - and you may qualify without settling your home loan. What gets expunged, the seven-day filing duty, and what to do if it is refused.
What Debts Are Not Covered by Debt Review in South Africa?
Debt review re-arranges credit agreements under the National Credit Act. SARS tax debt and court-ordered maintenance are not credit agreements and are not re-arranged. Agreements already under section 130 enforcement are excluded. What that means for your car and your home.
Debt Review for Married Couples in South Africa
Whether you and your spouse apply for debt review jointly or separately depends on your marital property regime. In community of property means one joint estate and a joint application. Out of community means separate estates. What that means for the fees and the assessment.
Warning Signs You Need Debt Review (and Signs You Do Not)
The statutory test for over-indebtedness is whether you can satisfy all your obligations in a timely manner. Practical warning signs that point at it, signs that point somewhere else, and why no calculator can declare you over-indebted.
How to Choose a Debt Counsellor in South Africa (and the Red Flags)
Verify NCR registration before you pay anyone. The questions to ask, the fee addendum to Form 16 you must be shown, the 60-business-day refund rule, and the warning signs of a debt counsellor who will take your money and stall.
Life After Debt Review: Rebuilding Your Credit Record
What section 71(5) requires the credit bureaux to expunge once you have your clearance certificate, what they are not required to remove, and a realistic view of rebuilding credit access afterwards - without the score-point promises nobody can back up.
How to Check a Debt Counsellor Is NCR-Registered (2 Minutes)
Debt counsellors must be registered with the National Credit Regulator. How to check the public NCR register, what to ask for in writing, the NCR's own contact numbers, and why a registration number on a website is not proof of anything.
Debt Counsellor vs Debt Collector: Know the Difference
A debt counsellor is registered with the NCR, works for you, and may not accept a fee from your credit providers. A debt collector recovers money for the creditor. Two opposite roles that sound similar - and telling them apart protects you.
Finding a debt counsellor
We do not publish lists of named debt counsellors. Registration status is a live fact held by the NCR, a list goes stale, and sending someone to a counsellor whose registration has lapsed is exactly the harm these pages exist to prevent. These pages show you how to check the register yourself and what to ask before you sign.
Check any name against the NCR's own register at ncr.org.za before you sign anything, or call the NCR on 0860 627 627 and ask them to confirm the registration number the counsellor gave you. Registration can lapse or be withdrawn, so the register on the day you check is the only answer worth having.
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The regulator
OurPower is not a debt counsellor and is not registered with the National Credit Regulator. This page is general information about South African debt review law, not financial, legal or debt counselling advice. Debt review is not the right answer for everyone. Only an NCR-registered debt counsellor or a court can determine whether you are over-indebted. Legislation verified 2026-08-15. Sources: National Credit Act 34 of 2005 (as amended), the National Credit Regulations, the NCR Debt Counselling Fee Guidelines, the Magistrates' Courts Act 32 of 1944, and the Insolvency Act 24 of 1936.