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Debt review explained

How much could you save every month?

A court-approved debt review plan typically reduces total monthly debt repayments by 30–50% — the same debt, repaid on terms you can actually carry, with room left over for the things that matter.

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An example of what’s possible

Example

Current repayments

R18 500

Restructured repayments

R10 500

R8 000 more every month.
That’s R96 000 a year back into the household — a 43% reduction.

This is an example, not a quote. Your own result depends on your income, your expenses, your credit agreements and what each credit provider accepts.

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What debt review is

A regulated way to make your debt manageable.

Debt review is a formal process under Section 86 of the National Credit Act. A debt counsellor registered with the National Credit Regulator assesses your finances, negotiates new terms with every credit provider you owe, and has the resulting plan made an order of court.

From that point your creditors deal with your counsellor instead of with you, and you make one payment a month instead of many. It is the only debt solution in South Africa that is regulated end to end — the counsellor, the fees and the plan itself all sit inside the Act.

It’s not a new loan.

Nothing is borrowed, nothing is consolidated into a new agreement, and nothing is written off. The debt you have is repaid — on terms that fit what you actually earn.

How it works

01
Your finances are assessed
A registered debt counsellor looks at your income, your living expenses and every credit agreement you hold, and works out whether you are over-indebted as the National Credit Act defines it.
02
Your debts are restructured
The counsellor negotiates with each credit provider — lower interest, longer terms — and builds one repayment plan. A magistrate makes that plan a court order.
03
You make one affordable payment
One amount leaves your account each month to a registered payment distribution agency, which pays every creditor on your behalf. No more juggling debit orders.

The honest answer

Where does the saving come from?

It is a fair question, and there is nothing clever behind it. You still owe what you owe. What changes is the rate, the term and the number of payments — and those three things together are what move the monthly figure.

Lower interest rates

Your counsellor negotiates the rate on each agreement down. On unsecured debt that is often the single biggest change — less of every rand you pay disappears into interest, and more of it reduces what you owe.

Restructured repayment terms

Repayment is spread over a longer period, so each monthly instalment is smaller. You repay for longer — that is the trade — but you repay an amount you can actually carry every month.

One affordable monthly payment

Every debit order, every due date, every creditor collapses into a single payment on a single day. The distribution is handled for you by a registered PDA.

More money for your life

The difference is not a discount and it is not new credit — it is your own income, no longer committed to unaffordable instalments. Groceries, school fees, transport, and some room to breathe.

What debt review protects

More than just your repayments.

The monthly figure is what people come for. The protection is usually what keeps them. Each of these applies while the process is running and you keep to the plan — and falls away if you stop.

Your home

Your bond goes into the plan like any other credit agreement. While the debt review is running and you keep to the plan, the bank may not start legal steps to repossess on that debt.

Your vehicle

Vehicle finance is restructured with everything else, and the same protection applies while the process runs and the plan is met. For most people this is the difference between keeping a car and losing the way they get to work.

Creditor action

Once your application is lodged, credit providers deal with your debt counsellor rather than with you. The calls, the letters and the collection pressure go through one channel — and that channel is not your phone.

Your income

A restructured plan is built around the living expenses you actually have, so what is left is what you can genuinely spare. A garnishee or emoluments attachment order taken on a debt inside the plan is dealt with as part of the review.

Your credit record

A temporary mark. A longer-term benefit.

While you are under debt review your credit bureau record shows that status, and by law you may not take on new credit until you are finished. That is the trade, and it is worth naming plainly.

What it replaces is worse: missed payments, defaults, judgments and legal action, each of which marks your record for years and none of which comes with a plan attached. When you complete the process you receive a clearance certificate and the debt review status is removed.

What it costs

Clear, capped and regulated.

Debt review fees are not negotiated and they are not ours to set. The National Credit Regulator prescribes the maximums, and they are the same at every registered practice in the country.

No cash upfront. Every fee is built into your single restructured monthly payment.
The restructuring fee equals your first restructured instalment — capped at R8 000 for a single applicant, R9 000 for a joint application.
Aftercare is 5% of your monthly instalment, capped at R450 a month.
Every registered debt counsellor charges the same. The NCR sets the maximums, not us.

45+ years of combined NCR-registered debt counselling experience

Three NCR-registered counsellors across DS4U and our partner practice, Debt Free with Armani — all verifiable.

Straight talk

When debt review may not be the answer.

It is a legal remedy for a specific problem, not a solution to every money problem. Four situations where we would tell you to do something else.

You can comfortably afford what you owe
Debt review is a legal remedy for over-indebtedness. If your repayments fit your income, it is the wrong tool and it would put a temporary mark on your record for no reason.
It is one debt and a short-term squeeze
One account behind after a bad month is a conversation with that credit provider, not a court-ordered restructuring of everything you owe.
You need to take on new credit soon
Under debt review you may not take on further credit, by law, until you have your clearance certificate. If a bond or vehicle application is imminent, that matters.
There is nothing left to restructure
If your income cannot cover the minimum living expenses in the Act plus any repayment at all, no plan will balance. Then debt review is not the answer, and we will say so and point you somewhere that is.

The questions people actually ask

The money ones, answered without the hedging.

View all FAQs →

How much will my repayments actually drop?

Across the debt review market a restructured plan typically reduces total monthly debt repayments by 30–50%, but nobody can tell you your figure from a web page. It depends on what you owe, to whom, at what interest rate, over what remaining term, and on what each credit provider accepts. The free assessment produces your actual number from your actual credit agreements.

Where does the saving come from if I still owe the same money?

From three places: interest rates are negotiated down, the repayment term is extended so each instalment is smaller, and all your separate debits collapse into one payment. You are not borrowing anything and the debt is not written off — the same debt is repaid on terms you can carry.

What does debt review cost?

The NCR sets the maximums, so every registered debt counsellor charges the same. The restructuring fee equals your first restructured instalment, capped at R8,000 for a single applicant and R9,000 for a joint application. Aftercare is 5% of your monthly instalment, capped at R450 a month. All of it is built into your single monthly payment — you do not pay cash upfront, and the assessment itself is free.

Will this show on my credit record?

Yes. While you are under debt review your credit bureau record shows that status, and by law you may not take on new credit until you are finished. That is the trade: a temporary mark in exchange for a repayment plan you can actually complete. When you complete it you receive a clearance certificate and the debt review status is removed.

Can I keep my house and my car?

That is one of the main reasons people apply. A bond and a vehicle finance agreement are included in the restructured plan like any other credit agreement, and while the process is running and you keep to the plan, the credit provider may not take legal steps on that debt. If you stop paying, that protection falls away.

What if debt review is not right for me?

Then we say so at the assessment, before anything is signed. If you can comfortably afford your current repayments, or you have one short-term problem with one creditor, or your income cannot cover the Act's minimum living expenses plus any repayment at all, debt review is the wrong tool and we will tell you what is not.

Let's find out what a brighter financial future could look like.

The assessment is free, takes about ten minutes, and commits you to nothing. You will see your own figures — not an example — and a registered counsellor will tell you honestly whether debt review is the right answer for you.

Start your free debt review assessment