Your two-pot withdrawal is taxed as ordinary income at your marginal rate, not at the favourable retirement lump sum rates. SARS works out the tax by calculating what you would owe on your annual income with the withdrawal added, subtracting what you would owe without it, and instructing your fund to withhold the difference. On…
To withdraw from your savings component you apply through your own retirement fund, not through SARS. Your fund requests a tax directive on your behalf, SARS returns it within about 48 hours if your tax affairs are in order, and the fund pays the after-tax balance into your bank account. The minimum withdrawal is R2…
The two-pot retirement system splits your retirement fund into three components and lets you take cash from one of them once per tax year, without resigning. The minimum withdrawal is R2 000, the money is taxed at your marginal income tax rate, and any debt you owe SARS is deducted before the fund pays you….
If you were injured, lost income, or lost a loved one because of someone else’s negligent driving on a South African road, you may be entitled to compensation from the Road Accident Fund (RAF). The process can feel slow and technical, especially while you are already dealing with pain, stress, or financial pressure, but understanding…
If you cannot afford a private attorney, South Africa’s Constitution guarantees you the right to legal representation in criminal cases where you could face a substantial injustice without it. Legal Aid South Africa exists to make that right real, providing free or subsidised legal help to people who qualify, both in criminal matters and in…
Buying your first home can feel out of reach if you earn too much to qualify for a free RDP house, but not quite enough to comfortably carry a full mortgage on your own. First Home Finance, formerly known as FLISP, was created specifically for this gap, offering a once-off government subsidy that lowers the…
If you are heading into your first year at a South African public university or TVET college, or you are a returning student who needs to reapply, the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) is likely the single most important funding decision in front of you. Applications for the 2027 academic year are expected to…
If you have lost your job in South Africa, the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) can provide short-term income support while you look for new work. Many workers never claim the money they are entitled to, either because they don’t know the process or because they assume it only applies to retrenchments at big companies. This…
The National Treasury announces grant increases each year, and 2026 brought new amounts across every SASSA grant. Knowing the new rand figure is only part of the picture. What the increase is actually worth depends on how far food and electricity prices have moved, whether it shifts your position against the means test for other…
A rejected SASSA application is hard to absorb, especially when the grant you applied for is what your household runs on. Rejection rates for certain grants have risen sharply in 2026, the SRD grant above all, as eligibility verification tightened and government databases began cross-referencing each other more aggressively. A rejection is not the end…