Over-Indebtedness Calculator
There is no debt-to-income percentage in South African law that makes you over-indebted. What there is, in regulation 24(7)(a) of the National Credit Regulations, is this test: you are over-indebted if your total monthly debt payments exceed the balance you get by deducting your minimum living expenses from your net income. This calculator runs exactly that, on your numbers.
Your monthly figures
Why the arithmetic is only the starting point
Two things move the answer once a real debt counsellor gets hold of it.
- Your living expense figure gets adjusted. Regulation 24(7)(c) says minimum living expenses are based on the budget you provide, adjusted by the debt counsellor with reference to guidelines issued by the NCR. Your number is an input, not the final figure, and it is the most common surprise in an assessment.
- Section 79(1) is wider than the arithmetic. Section 79(1) requires the determination to be made on the preponderance of all available information at the time, having regard to your financial means, prospects and obligations, and your probable propensity to repay as shown by your repayment history. Arithmetic alone does not decide it - a debt counsellor or a court does.
That is why this page will never tell you that you are over-indebted, and why you should be sceptical of any site that does.
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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 and the National Credit Regulations.