Non-Required Expenses

Non required Expenses Non required expense are those expenses paid by consumers that are not absolutely necessary, but that are none the less an important part of daily existence. These will include:

NDRC Practice NoteLast reviewed 2026-04

What this means in practice

Non-required expenses are lifestyle items the consumer should reduce or remove before asking creditors to take a haircut. They do not need to disappear, but they must be defensible relative to the household's income.

How credit providers typically respond

Credit providers scrutinise non-required line items first. An unjustified entertainment or DSTV figure is the easiest line to attack and often the basis for a counter-proposal at a higher monthly amount.

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 7.2: Non-Required Expenses. Guideline 001/2015 (Debt Review Task Team Agreements 2010), p. 43.