Guides
Plain-language guides to SARS, POPIA, B-BBEE, and FSCA — what the law actually requires of a business like yours, and how to prove you meet it.
Featured · Guide · 11 min read
Every tax an SA business actually deals with — income tax, provisional tax, PAYE, and VAT — what each one requires, when it's due, and what SARS charges when you miss. Including the 2026 changes that moved the goalposts.
Read the guide →Guide · 7 min read
The 2026 interim EMP501 covers March to August and is due by 31 October. What has to match, why employee tax numbers now decide whether SARS accepts it, how to submit it, and what a late one costs.
Guide · 9 min read
The proofs a buyer asks for before it awards a tender: the SARS tax compliance PIN, the CSD registration, the Employment Equity certificate, the CIDB grading, a B-BBEE certificate or affidavit and the COIDA letter of good standing. What each is, how long it lasts, and how the buyer checks it.
Guide · 9 min read
Your tax compliance status turns non-compliant the day a return is overdue or a debt goes unpaid without an arrangement. How a business gets a TCS PIN, where to see the reason, how to fix each cause, and what a red flag on the CSD means.
Guide · 9 min read
A SARS verification letter asks you to back up a return with documents by the date on the letter. What verification is, what SARS asks a business for, how to submit, how long it takes, why a VAT refund is held, and what happens if you don't respond.
Guide · 9 min read
The penalties SARS charges a business: the fixed monthly penalty for late income tax returns, 10% for tax paid late, interest, and understatement penalties. How to find them on eFiling, how to ask for remission, and what to do if SARS refuses.
Guide · 8 min read
Since 1 January 2025, every employer making an offer to an organ of state needs an Employment Equity compliance certificate. Who must report, what the Department checks, the sector targets, how to request the certificate, and the 15 January 2027 deadline.
Guide · 9 min read
If you employ anyone, you must register for COIDA — the state workplace-injury cover run by the Compensation Fund. What it is, who's in (domestic workers included), the annual Return of Earnings, what skipping it costs, and how to get the Letter of Good Standing tenders demand.
Guide · 10 min read
Your entire B-BBEE obligation is decided by one number — annual turnover. R10m or less makes you an EME (an affidavit, no scorecard); above R10m and below R50m a QSE; R50m or more Generic. What each tier requires, the priority-element traps, and how to prove your level.
Guide · 11 min read
Most businesses don't need an FSP licence — but if you give financial advice or act as an intermediary, the FSCA and FAIS apply in full. Who's in scope, the licence categories, fit-and-proper and CPD, the conduct rules, penalties, and what the COFI Bill will change.
Guide · 11 min read
Everything an SA business needs on POPIA — the eight conditions, the Information Regulator, penalties, and how to build a compliance programme that actually holds up.
Guide · 10 min read
What a B-BBEE level actually means, how the 111-point scorecard earns it, why one weak priority element quietly costs you a whole level, and the cheapest ways to climb.
POPIA · 6 min read
POPIA §19 doesn't give you a checklist — it gives you a test. Here's what “appropriate, reasonable technical and organisational measures” actually means for your business.
Regulatory map · 8 min read
Four regulators, four rulebooks, one business. A clear map of POPIA, B-BBEE, SARS, and FSCA — what each requires, who it applies to, and where they intersect.
Checklist · 5 min read
A practical, no-fluff checklist to check whether your website meets POPIA's basic requirements — privacy policy, cookie consent, data subject rights, and more.
