Legal and compliance

• File an annual return

  Every year on the registration anniversary, whether or not you traded.

  CIPCannual

• Register for income tax

  The company is a taxpayer in its own right, separate from you.

  SARSonce

• Pay provisional tax

  Income tax in instalments during the year rather than after it.

  SARStwice a year

• Meet POPIA

  An information officer, and a lawful basis for the personal information you hold.

  Information Regulatoronce, then ongoing

A general description, not legal advice — requirements and thresholds change. Confirm the current position with the authority named.

• Contracts and agreements

  Everything you need to know about Profit and Revenue Share Agreements in South Africa

  Hello Contract7 September 2020archive

• Contracts and agreements

  Common Contract Mistakes To Avoid As An Entrepreneur

  Content Agency26 May 2020archive

• Contracts and agreements

  9 Trade Mark Tips to enhance and Protect your Name or Brand

  Legalese14 April 2020archive

• Disputes

  When a supplier lets you down

  The other half of commercial life. And the most common mistake is the one that converts you from the aggrieved party into the debtor.

  Content Agency26 August 2026

• Disputes

  Mediation, arbitration or court

  “We'll see them in court” is usually the most expensive option available. The question to ask first is what you actually want out of it.

  Content Agency26 August 2026

• Disputes

  Using the Small Claims Court

  Free to bring, no lawyers allowed on either side, and designed for people without legal training. Exactly the situation most small businesses find themselves…

  Content Agency26 August 2026

• SARS and tax

  Tax compliance status, and why it matters

  SARS's answer to “is this business up to date?”, and the answer other people rely on. A bad status costs you opportunities in places you never find out about.

  Content Agency26 August 2026

• SARS and tax

  Provisional tax explained

  Not a separate tax — the same income tax, paid during the year instead of after it. If your income has no PAYE deducted, you are almost certainly a provisional…

  Content Agency26 August 2026

• SARS and tax

  VAT: when you must register

  Compulsory above the threshold, optional below it, and misunderstood almost everywhere. The first thing to grasp is that VAT is not your money at any stage.

  Content Agency26 August 2026

• CIPC and annual returns

  What “good standing” actually means

  Not one status but several separate registers agreeing your business is what it says it is. Most businesses that fail a compliance check fail on one of them…

  Content Agency25 August 2026

• CIPC and annual returns

  Changing your company's details

  The register is what everyone else relies on. The registered address is the one that matters most — and it is the reason most owners never see the notice that…

  Content Agency25 August 2026

• CIPC and annual returns

  Changing your company's directors

  Until the register is updated, the world treats whoever is listed as responsible. What the change involves, and why removing a director who disagrees is a…

  Content Agency25 August 2026