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    1. Home
    2. Debt Counselling
    3. Official Guide
    4. Annexure B
    5. 14.10 Affordability Amount
    Annexure B
    • 1.1The purpose of the Affordability Assessment of the consumer
    • 1.2When the determination in terms of Section
    • 1.3This assessment of the consumer’s financial position
    • 1.4It is therefore required that the affordability assessment
    • 1.5Before a repayment proposal can be completed, an Affordability
    • 2.1Elegibility to apply for debt counselling
    • 2.2Marital Status
    • 2.3To make sure that not all debt
    • 2.4Temporary Loss of Income
    • 3Determination of Gross Income
    • 3.1The Debt Counsellor
    • 3.1.1If the consumer
    • 3.1.2If the consumer
    • 3.1.3In some cases consumers
    • 3.1.4In some cases consumers
    • 3.1.5Should the proceeds be less than the settlement amount
    • 3.1.6In the case of a second home, investment properties or holiday
    • 3.1.7Vehicles not used by the consumer or his or her dependants (i
    • 3.1.8In the case where the consumer
    • 3.2Short Term insurance on assets financed
    • 3.3Joint Bonds Where the consumer who applies
    • 3.4Reckless Lending
    • 4Determination of Nett Income
    • 4.1On making an effective assessment
    • 4.2The consumer(s)
    • 4.3Gross pay
    • 4.4Deductions for irregular income
    • 4.5Statutory deductions or compulsory deductions
    • 4.6Employer deductions
    • 4.7Use the following guidelines in respect of other income
    • 5Determination of Reasonable Living Expenses
    • 5.1The purpose of setting minimum criteria
    • 5.2The proposed guidelines in the table below take into account
    • 5.3Spending Guidelines
    • 6Determination of Available Income
    • 7.1Required Expenses
    • 7.1.1Rental, where no bond
    • 7.1.2Debt Counsellors could ask the following questions
    • 7.1.3Groceries (food, toiletries, cleaning materials) - groceries
    • 7.1.4Water & Lights (if not part of rental)
    • 7.1.5Rates & Taxes (if consumer
    • 7.1.6Body corporate levies
    • 7.1.7Domestic workers depending on circumstances, e
    • 7.1.8Education
    • 7.1.9Consumers may apply for subsidised school fees
    • 7.1.10Existing tertiary education
    • 7.1.11Transport (public transport and/or reasonable running expenses
    • 7.1.12Telkom phone or cellular phones or internet access within
    • 7.1.13Multiple cellular phones
    • 7.1.14Encourage consumer to set limits on cellular phone contracts
    • 7.1.15Maintenance that should be paid
    • 7.1.16Utilities but encourage the consumer to reduce usage where usage
    • 7.1.17Clothing and shoes within reason, higher amount for growing
    • 7.1.18Chronic medication (obtain proof that not covered by medical aid
    • 7.1.19Support of relatives with valid reasons
    • 7.1.20Financial Services - Debt Counsellors
    • 7.1.21Medical Aid - the consumer
    • 7.1.22Life Assurance
    • 7.1.23Credit Life - money that a consumer pays to an insurance company
    • 7.1.24Insurance - money paid to an insurance company to protect
    • 7.1.25Anything else that can be regarded as required
    • 7.2Non-Required Expenses
    • 7.2.1Domestic worker/s (unless
    • 7.2.2Garden services
    • 7.2.3Alcoholic beverages
    • 7.2.4Tobacco/cigarettes
    • 7.2.5Entertainment
    • 7.2.6DSTV or MNet - consider downscaling at the end of the contract
    • 7.2.7Recreation / club memberships
    • 7.2.8Children’s pocket money
    • 7.2.9Tithes / donations
    • 7.2.10Cosmetic services / beautician / pampering sessions
    • 7.2.11Some allowance
    • 7.3Luxurious Items
    • 7.3.1Multiple properties
    • 7.3.2If a property
    • 7.3.3Boat, Jet Ski, sun bed and other “toy” items
    • 7.3.4Luxury vehicles used as the only means of transport by consumer
    • 7.3.5Luxury vehicles not used by the consumer on a daily basis
    • 7.3.6Holiday clubs
    • 7.3.7Gambling
    • 8Restructuring Proposal
    • 8.1Establish whether there
    • 8.2Any available cash resources, bonuses or thirteenth cheques
    • 8.3Consider to downsize from an expensive luxurious vehicle
    • 8.4If a fixed property (house)
    • 8.5Consider whether the consumer
    • 8.6Make sure that all expenditure
    • 8.7If revised living expenses exceed income then the consumer
    • 8.8If the consumer’s revised living expenses
    • 9Broad Guideline forSpending Patterns
    • 10Annual Review
    • 11Recognising and Dealing with Addictive Behaviours
    • 12Conclusion Consumers are over-indebted if too much
    • 13Annexure b1 – Affordability Assessment Process Steps
    • 14Annexure b2 – Affordability Assessment Check List
    • 14.1Affordability Assessment
    • 14.2Interview with Consumer
    • 14.3Verify Consumer Details
    • 14.4Verify Debt
    • 14.5Verify Income
    • 14.6Check for Reckless Lending
    • 14.7Review Asset Statement
    • 14.8Revise Budget
    • 14.9Verify Short Term Insurance Required by Debt Agreements
    • 14.10Affordability Amount
    • 16.1Check that the rates applicable to the debt
    • 16.2Note that contracts entered into before June
    • 16.3The possible reckless debt indicator needs to be completed
    • 16.4Where the monthly debt repayments exceed the maximums, as per
    • 16.5Reckless Lending Indicator
    • 16.6When the Reckless Debt Indicator
    Annexure B
    14.10
    Annexure B
    p. 50

    Affordability Amount

      Affordability Amount

      a) Provide Consumer with monthly budget and monthly emergency amount included in the budget

      b) Discuss repayment plan

      c) Provide Debit Order cancellation and Stop Payment instructions

      d) Confirm acceptance of budget and fees

      e) Confirm Short Term Insurance in place where required

      f) Confirm to proceed

      g) Explain PDA and complete mandates

      h) Output required i. Monthly Budget for 12 months provided to client ii. Receipt for debt review application provided to client iii. Fee structure details discussed with client iv. Debit Order cancellation and Stop Payment instructions signed by client and copy made for own records v. Repayment schedule and amount details provided to client vi. Motivation for debt review documented for future use vii. NCR Debt Help Loaded No List all Debts in After Tax Income Monthly Debt Interest Initia- Debt date order from at time of Debt Repayment Rate tion repayment first in to last in5 taken up6 Amount7 Charged8 Fee as percentage of After tax income10 Possible reckless Debt Indicator11 5 All debts since inception should be listed. This information could be obtained from the client and Credit Bureau. Credit agreements entered into prior to 1 June 2007 cannot be reckless as defined in the NCA. 6 The after tax income of the consumer at application or debt taken up should be included. If married in COP then combined after tax income should be included. Remember to get salary slips (to the extent possible) and bank statements covering the relevant periods to obtain the correct income when the application was approved. 7 The monthly amount due for payment of the debt should be included. 8 Include the rate charged by the Credit Provider. Remember rates and fees prior to 1 June 2007 are not subject to NCA limitation. 9 Insert type of debt: A: Mortgage, B: Credit Facility, C: Unsecured Credit Facility, D: Short Term Debt, E: Other Debt or F: Incidental Debt. 10 Calculate monthly debt repayment of all the debt, including previous debt repayments, as a percentage of income after tax. When this per centage exceeds the possible reckless debt indicator, that debt and the debts approved after that point in time, could possibly be reckless unless income has changed dramatically when subsequent applications were made. 11 The possible reckless lending indication does not prove or indicate that a particular loan is reckless. It is an indication for the Debt Counsellor to commence with an investigation of possible reckless lending on the loan indicated. 16. Possible Reckless Lending Indicator Steps

    NDRC Practice NoteLast reviewed 2026-04

    Legal context

    This is the figure distributed by the PDA each month under the rearrangement order issued in terms of NCA s 87(1)(b)(ii).

    Read alongside
    • 8
      Restructuring Proposal
    • 3.5
      Suggested conduct by payment distribution

    Drawn from NDRC's active case work. For your situation, see our debt counselling overview.

    Cite this clause

    National Credit Regulator. (2015). Annexure B — Debt Review Assessment Guidelines, clause 14.10: Affordability Amount. Guideline 001/2015 (Debt Review Task Team Agreements 2010), p. 50.

    Related clauses

    14
    Annexure B
    Annexure b2 – Affordability Assessment Check List
    14.1
    Annexure B
    Affordability Assessment
    14.2
    Annexure B
    Interview with Consumer
    14.3
    Annexure B
    Verify Consumer Details
    Previous
    14.9 Verify Short Term Insurance Required by Debt Agreements
    Next
    16.1 Check that the rates applicable to the debt
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    Based on NCR Guideline 001/2015, p. 50. For NDRC's interpretation and application, see our debt counselling overview. Download original PDF.
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    The National Debt Review Center (NDRC) is a registered debt counselling practice with the National Credit Regulator (NCR Registration: NCRDC3106). Our services are conducted in strict accordance with the National Credit Act 34 of 2005 and NCR Circular 09 of 2025 regarding DHS status updates.

    Important: Debt review is a regulated legal process. While under debt review, you will be unable to obtain further credit until a Clearance Certificate (Form 19) is issued or a court order declares you no longer over-indebted.

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