Debt review in South Africa is run on three official forms under the National Credit Act: Form 16, Form 17.1 and Form 17.2. They come in that order, and together they take you from applying to being legally protected to having a single, affordable monthly payment. The good news is that you only ever sign the first one — your debt counsellor handles the rest.
Form 16 — the application you sign
Form 16 is the official debt review application document. Once you decide to proceed, you formally apply for debt review by signing a Form 16, which also appoints your debt counsellor to act for you. It is the only form in the whole process that you personally sign. Everything that follows is sent by your counsellor on your behalf.
Form 17.1 — the notices that start your protection
On receipt of your signed Form 16, your debt counsellor sends Form 17.1 notices to all of your creditors — at DS4U within 24 hours, although the National Credit Act allows up to five business days. These notices do two things:
- They formally inform your creditors that you are under debt review — and this is the moment your legal protection begins. From here, your creditors must deal with your counsellor and may not sue you, garnishee your salary or repossess your assets while you keep up your payments.
- They instruct each creditor to send back a Certificate of Balance (COB) — the verified outstanding amount on each of your accounts, so the proposal is built on exact figures, not estimates.
Form 17.2 — the restructured proposal
Once the Certificates of Balance are in, your debt counsellor works out a single affordable monthly payment that covers all your debts — typically 30 to 50% less than you were paying before — and sends that finalised proposal to every creditor on a Form 17.2. This is the official restructured repayment plan: one payment, to one place, instead of juggling many.
The sequence, at a glance
- Form 16 — you sign and apply
- Form 17.1 — your counsellor notifies creditors; protection begins; balances requested
- Form 17.2 — your counsellor sends the restructured payment proposal
The whole of it, from signing Form 16 to the proposal going out, is usually a matter of days to a couple of weeks. The full debt review process, step by step sets out everything around these three forms, and how long debt review takes covers the timeline end to end.
What you actually have to do
Almost nothing, and that is the point. You sign one form — the Form 16 — and from there a registered debt counsellor deals with every creditor for you: the Form 17.1 notices, the Certificates of Balance, and the Form 17.2 proposal. You do not fill in the 17.1 or the 17.2 yourself, and you do not have to speak to your creditors. At DS4U the whole application, including the Form 16, happens in one chat on your phone.
Not sure if debt review is right for you?
Debt review is a legal process, not a product, so the thing worth checking first is whether the counsellor is registered with the NCR — anyone who is not cannot lawfully take you through it. After that it comes down to what your restructured payment would actually be and how long it would run, and neither of those is a guess: both come out of your own numbers in about fifteen minutes on a call, with no obligation either way.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Form 16 in debt review?
Form 16 is the official debt review application document. When you decide to proceed, you sign a Form 16 to formally apply for debt review and appoint your debt counsellor. It is the one form in the process that you personally sign — everything after it is sent by your counsellor on your behalf.
What is a Form 17.1?
On receipt of your signed Form 16, your debt counsellor sends Form 17.1 notices to all of your creditors — at DS4U within 24 hours (the National Credit Act allows up to 5 business days). These notices formally inform your creditors that you are under debt review, which is the point at which your legal protection begins, and they instruct each creditor to send back a Certificate of Balance (COB) confirming exactly what you owe.
What is a Form 17.2?
Form 17.2 is the restructured repayment proposal. Once the Certificates of Balance are in, your debt counsellor works out a single affordable monthly payment that covers all your debts — typically 30 to 50% less than you were paying before — and sends that proposal to every creditor on a Form 17.2.
Do I have to fill in Form 17.1 and Form 17.2 myself?
No. The only form you sign is Form 16, the application. Your debt counsellor prepares and sends the Form 17.1 notices and the Form 17.2 proposal on your behalf — dealing with your creditors directly so you do not have to. That is a core part of what a registered debt counsellor does for you.
When does debt review legally protect me — Form 16 or Form 17.1?
Protection begins when the Form 17.1 notices go out to your creditors. From that point your creditors must deal with your debt counsellor and may not sue you, garnishee your salary, or repossess your assets while you keep up your restructured payments. Signing the Form 16 starts the process; the Form 17.1 notices are what trigger the protection.
