Legal and compliance

What you owe the state, what you sign, and what happens when either goes wrong.

43 articles3881 businesses8 sections

What this obliges you to do

What every registered business carries, whatever it does.

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.

Explore more

How things work, and how to do them. A spread across the whole hub — open a section for everything in it.

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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.
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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.
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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…
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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.
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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.
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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…
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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…
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