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Don't Forget To Pay

Each year, Debt Counsellors (and others who are registered with the National Credit Regulator, or NCR) pay a small fee to renew their registration.

This is known as a renewal fee and it helps the NCR continue doing its work regulating the credit industry.

This happens every July. It’s not optional. If a Debt Counsellor doesn’t pay these fees by the end of the month, they can lose their registration—and that means they’re no longer allowed to offer debt review services.

Debt Counsellors must pay their renewal fees by 31 July to remain registered.

A New Certificate for 2025

Once the annual renewal fee is paid, the NCR issues an updated registration certificate for the new year (July 2025 – June 2026).

Even though the Debt Counsellor already has a certificate from before, this one will now show the current year. This is important for use at court. Judges and Magistrates often ask to see this proof that a Debt Counsellor is properly registered with the NCR.

Check the dates displayed at the bottom of the certificate

Ask to See It

As a consumer, you have the right to ask for a copy of your Debt Counsellor’s current NCR certificate at any time.

In the past, these certificates were often displayed in offices. But today, most work is done online or over the phone. If you’re working with a Debt Counsellor remotely, just ask them to send you a copy by email or WhatsApp. Some even display their certificate on their website for convenience.

Don’t be shy – ask to see the current certificate if you’re unsure.

What Are the Fees?

The annual renewal fee is R500, plus a R250 branch fee. Even if a Debt Counsellor works from home, the NCR counts that as a “branch” and the branch fee still applies.

So, in total, most Debt Counsellors pay R750 per year to stay registered.

Interestingly, the NCR recently commissioned research into putting their fees up and doing an annual increase on these fees. Why this is interesting is because Debt Counsellors have been asking for similar annual increases to fees but these have not been reviewed for many years. It is nice to see that the NCR acknowledge that things do shift upwards in price over time and that inflation is having an impact (even if just for themselves at this point).

What Happens If Debt Counsellors Don’t Renew?

If the fees are not paid by the end of July (and within a short grace period), the NCR will mark the registration as lapsed.

This means the Debt Counsellor is no longer legally allowed to assist clients.

In the past, when this happened, the NCR sometimes even moved affected consumers to other active Debt Counsellors.

Note: This seemingly only applies to Debt Counsellors, not credit providers.

If a Debt Counsellor’s registration lapses, they must apply from scratch to be registered again. While they wait to have their application approved and a new registration number issued, they are not able to practice or accept payment from consumers.

The NCR’s Website Registrants Database also includes a section for Debt Counsellors with lapsed registrations. If you’re trying to find your previous Debt Counsellor and they no longer appear in the main list, check the “lapsed” section. They may no longer be practising or may have missed this important payment deadline.