Debt Review Exit Information

16/03/2026

16/03/2026

How to make sure your debt counsellor is validly registered and permitted to offer debt review services including if he or she may legally issue a form 19 clearance certificate.

10/03/2026

FORM 19 AND CLEARANCE CERTIFICATE:

The process to exit consumers were communicated to all registered debt counsellors during the past two weeks, debt counsellors registered with the NCR were all on-boarded Sunday and Monday and the system went live on Tuesday 3 February 2026.

THE DHS EXCUSE SHOULD RAISE A RED FLAG AS THE PERSON MAY NOT BE LEGITIMATE AND SHOULD BE REPORTED TO THE NCR. https://ncr.org.za/index.php/departments/complaints

19/02/2026

the NCR Debt Help System is down with no estimated time frame of when it will be accessible again. Please contact the National Credit Regulator or the Minister of Trade and Industry for assistance. 0860 627 627 (Call Centre) / 011 554 2700 (Reception) [email protected] / [email protected] / [email protected]

22/10/2025

How to exit debt review

You cannot CANCEL debt review. There are only limited ways to exit debt review. It doesn’t matter how you pay your debt (yourself or via a PDA).

A consumer is in debt review and the credit bureaux listing will remain unless one of the following has happened: If the debt counsellor issued a form 17.2 indicating that you are indeed over indebted (status C) the legal process applies ito the law.

It is as follows:

- If you have a debt review order the only way is to pay off all the debt that is listed on the order, get the paid-up letters from the credit providers and then a registered debt counsellor can issue a form 19 clearance certificate. (Status F1 or F2)

- If you do not have a debt review order and all the debt is paid up and you have paid up letters a form 19 clearance certificate can also be issued by a registered debt counsellor. (Status F1 or F2)

HOWEVER, if you have no debt review order and the debt has not been paid up but your financial situation has improved and all the credit agreements are up to date an application can be made with a re-assessment of a registered debt counsellor to prove to the court that you are not over indebted and for the court to reject the debt review. (Status G1)

If you have been paying the reduced instalments under debt review you are in default and the court will not exit you. (Status D4 to proceed to F1 or F2 when you qualify. A company offering debt review removal is promising you something that is not legal.

I suggest you speak to your debt counsellor whom you appointed and is paying for his or her services regarding your debt review. If the debt counsellor is not assisting you refer him or her to the NCR by using the formal form 29 as prescribed and email it after completion to [email protected] but remember the NCR regulates the industry, it is not a legal remedy or service for consumers individual problems.

https://ncr.org.za/index.php/departments/complaints use the link for more information about NCR complaints. If you need a lawyer you need to appoint one. I am not a lawyer and I do not give legal advice.

For any additional information you are invited to the free Facebook group DEBT REVIEW CONSUMER QUESTIONS.

The NCR is tasked with the registration of credit providers, credit bureaux and debt counselors; and enforcement of compliance with the Act.

17/06/2025

IN DEBT REVIEW WITHOUT CONSENT OR KNOWLEDGE

Go to the SAPS and make a complaint for fraud. Obtaining your personal information from a 3rd party is a criminal offence and deducting money from your account without your permission and misleading advertising is unlawful. I suggest you also go to your bank, show them the SAPS complaint/ CAS number, reference numbers for complaints set out below and ask them to change your account number to prevent future deductions.

Report the person who phoned you and the company to the National Consumer Commission ito section 40 of the Consumer Protection Act for misleading advertising. https://thencc.org.za/complaints/

Then about the debt counsellor: Fill in the form in detail. Your complaint is about misleading advertising with leads bought which is a criminal offence ito circular 4 of 2022 issued by the NCR available on their website. Just open the link on the public group DEBT REVIEW CONSUMER QUESTIONS and look for the tab Publications, scroll down for Circulars and you can download the circular referred to from there. https://ncr.org.za/

You should also consider to report the matter to the Information Regulator ito PoPIA as trade in personal and private information is a criminal offence. https://inforegulator.org.za/complaints/

The above 4 steps are free of charge as all of them are part of Government and there to protect consumers.

In addition you can also contact the Minister of Trade and Industry, the Public Protector, the Parliamentary Committee with oversight ito department of DTI or the media. Their contact details are elsewhere in the group. Just search for it or you can google it.

Lastly you can appoint a lawyer to assist you in bringing this matter before the courts.

Lodging a complaint POPIA Any person may submit a complaint to the Regulator in the prescribed manner and form alleging interference with the protection of the personal information of a data subject. Should you feel that your personal information has been violated, a complaint to the Regulator must....

10/03/2025

FOR INFORMATION ABOUT DEBT REVIEW RELATED MATTERS PLEASE USE THE PUBLIC GROUP: DEBT REVIEW CONSUMER QUESTIONS.

03/06/2024

There are only limited ways to exit debt review. If you have a debt review order the only way is to pay off all the debt that is listed on the order, get the paid up letters from the credit providers and then a registered debt counsellor can issue a form 19 clearance certificate. If you do not have a debt review order and all the debt is paid up and you have paid up letters a form 19 clearance certificate can also be issued by a registered debt counsellor. HOWEVER, if you have no debt review order and the debt has not been paid up but your financial situation has improved and all the credit agreements are up to date an application can be made with a re-assessment of a registered debt counsellor to prove to the court that you are not over indebted and for the court to reject the debt review. IF you have been paying the reduced instalments under debt review you are in default and the court will not exit you. For more assistance email me for a quote for my time and expertise to [email protected]

13/11/2023

Debt review finds a consumer to be over indebted.

It doesn’t matter how you pay the debt, via PDA or directly to your credit providers. The payment method of debt does not determine the debt review, you as a person is under debt review and until you as a person paid up all your debt the debt review remains in force.You cannot exit debt review unless all debt has been paid in full. Judgment 3 September 2019 full bench High Court directive refers.

If you do have a debt review order, the only way to exit is:
1. Pay all the debt and obtain a clearance certificate to exit you from debt review from a registered debt counsellor (no court, lawyer or company offering this service can in terms of the law issue a clearance certificate)
2. If there is a meterial defect in the process used to obtain the debt review order an application can be made to the High Court to have it reviewed, set aside or substitute a legally valid order.
3. You have to have proof that there is no longer any debt payable (from credit providers or a rescent credit bureaux report indicating that you have no debt listed)
4. Some info from the original DC indicating which credit agreements were affected: the form 16 signed or a list of debt confirmed by credit providers after the issue of the 17.1 and 17.2 forms as well as the proof of payments to be provided to the NCT in the application.

If you do not have a debt review order and your debt is up to date in accordance with the original credit agreement contracts there is a legal process which can be done on your behalf by a lawyer to have the debt review declared no longer required. If however you have to pay reduced installments to have funds for living expenses your are still over indebted and will not be able to exit debt review.

In certain circumstances it might be possible to not follow the court route but it depends on your individual issue e.g.

1. In debt review after marketing enquiry without permission or consent
2. Paid up all debt prior to the conclusion of debt review order granted and available to the National Consumer Tribunal
3. Prescription
4. Sometimes it is possible to do a complete reassessment, inform all the credit providers and attempt to reach an agreement with the credit providers not paid in full that you are no longer requring debt review – costs involved.
5. Other

A clearance certificate can only be issued by a registered debt counsellor when you can prove that all debt obligations part of the debt review is paid in full.

Each consumer’s circumstances is unique and there is not a one size fits all solution.

Any further assistance will be by quote.

https://www.sowetanlive.co.za/business/money/2019-08-15-five-critical-facts-you-must-know-about-debt-counselling/

https://www.businesslive.co.za/money/2019-09-03-no-court-can-release-you-from-debt-review/

https://www.schoemanlaw.co.za/the-case-of-debt-review-can-consumer-exit-debt-review-early/

Introduction When Consumers are over-indebted, they can use the Debt Review mechanism provided by the National Credit Act 34 of 2005 (NCA) to restructure their debts as long as the Consumer is a natural person and the NCA applicable. In terms of Section 79(1)(a) and (b) of the NCA, a Consumer is ove...