Prescription Act 68 of 1969 · NCRDC3106

    Check if Your Debt is Prescribed - Challenge Now from R99

    Under the Prescription Act 68 of 1969, most unsecured debts extinguish after 3 years. Pull your live credit bureau record, identify accounts that qualify as prescribed under s11(d), and lodge formal disputes with the bureaus and creditor under NCA s72(3) and Regulation 20(2). You stay the dispute applicant throughout.

    Old account still on your bureau record?
    Need to raise prescription as a defence?
    Listing from 3+ years ago you never acknowledged?

    R99 covers a bureau data report and prescription analysis only. No fee is charged for any removal outcome. NCRDC3106.

    What prescription does under South African law

    Three statutory effects. Outcomes on your record depend on the bureau's investigation and the evidence the creditor holds.

    Bureau dispute right

    NCA s72(3) gives you the right to challenge bureau information. Regulation 20(2) requires the bureau to investigate within 20 business days and remove information it cannot verify as accurate and lawful.

    Defence to enforcement

    Once you raise prescription as a defence, the creditor cannot enforce the debt. NCA s126B also prohibits selling, collecting on, or re-activating prescribed debt. You must plead prescription — a court will not raise it for you (s17(1)).

    Bureau submission ban

    Regulation 19(5): no source of information may submit information to a credit bureau that has prescribed under the Prescription Act. R99 to check, R149 per account to lodge a formal bureau dispute.

    How it works

    1

    Bureau data report — R99

    We retrieve your TransUnion / XDS / Experian record and classify each open adverse account as Prescribed, Borderline or Active under Prescription Act s11(d). PDF data report emailed to you.

    2

    Pick accounts to dispute — R149/account

    For each flagged account, authorise the dispute pack. We prepare correspondence in your name under NCA s72(3) and Regulation 20(2), citing s126B and Reg 19(5) where the account qualifies as prescribed.

    3

    Bureau and creditor reply to you

    You stay the dispute applicant. The bureau must investigate within 20 business days (Reg 20(2)) and remove information it cannot verify as accurate and lawful (NCR Guideline 005/2025).

    Check my prescribed debt — R99 (excl. VAT)

    We retrieve your live record from TransUnion / XDS / Experian and classify every open adverse account against the 3-year prescription rule (Prescription Act 68 of 1969, s11(d)). R99 covers a bureau data report and analysis only — formal dispute correspondence is a separate R149/account fee.

    Choose how you want to pay to continue.

    NCRDC3106. NDRC is a registered debt counsellor, not a law firm. This service helps you exercise consumer rights under NCA s72(3); it is not legal advice and is not a credit repair or clearance service.

    Prescription is a defence the debtor must raise — a court will not raise it for you (s17(1), Prescription Act 68 of 1969).

    The R99 fee covers bureau data retrieval and prescription analysis only. R149 per account covers preparation and dispatch of formal dispute letters to bureaus and creditors. No fee is charged for the removal of any account.

    The statutory basis

    The law

    • Prescription Act 68 of 1969 — s10: a debt is extinguished by prescription.
    • s11(d): 3-year prescription period for ordinary unsecured debt.
    • s14: prescription is interrupted by an express or tacit acknowledgement (including payment) by the debtor.
    • s17(1): a court shall not of its own motion take notice of prescription. The debtor must plead it (s17(2)).
    • NCA s126B: a credit provider may not sell, collect on, or re-activate a debt extinguished by prescription.
    • NCA s72(3): consumer's right to challenge information held by a credit bureau.
    • Regulation 19(5): a source of information may not submit prescribed information to a bureau.
    • Regulation 20(2): bureau must investigate a dispute within 20 business days.
    • NCR Guideline 005/2025 (Dec 2025): credible-evidence standard for bureau dispute investigations.

    What NDRC does

    • Retrieves your live bureau record from TransUnion, XDS and Experian.
    • Classifies each open adverse account against s11(d) using a server-side rule.
    • Prepares dispute correspondence in your name under s72(3), citing s126B and Reg 19(5) where applicable.
    • Bureau and creditor reply directly to you with a reference number; you remain the dispute applicant.
    • NDRC does not clean, repair, fix or clear credit records and is not a credit bureau or law firm.

    How this is different from credit-repair scams

    There are operators in South Africa charging thousands of rands and disappearing. Here is what sets this service apart.

    Typical scam operator

    • R3,000 – R10,000 upfront with vague promises.
    • Demands a power of attorney; you never see the letters.
    • Claims to "remove anything" for a fee.
    • No NCR registration.
    • Goes silent once paid.

    NDRC (NCRDC3106)

    • R99 for a bureau data report; R149 per account to lodge a formal dispute. No commission, no removal-outcome fee.
    • You are the dispute applicant; bureau replies go to you with a reference number.
    • Disputes lodged only for accounts meeting the statutory test under Prescription Act s11(d).
    • NCR-registered debt counsellor; no power of attorney requested.
    • Dispute correspondence and bureau responses are auditable.
    NCRDC3106 registered NCA s72(3) + Reg 20(2) compliant Prescription Act s11(d) basis

    What this service is and is not

    FAQs about prescribed debt in South Africa

    Common questions about checking prescribed debt and the 3-year debt rule.