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Debt Help Contact Details

Verified 3 September 2026Updated 5 October 2026Official source onlyIndependent directoryPublished by Silas T Nkoana, Cape TownReport a wrong number

For debt help in South Africa, the reliable starting point is the National Credit Regulator on 0860 627 627, or debt counselling and Debt Help System (DHS) queries on 011 554 2607. Two different things sit behind the phrase: the DHS, which is the NCR’s own case system for debt review used by debt counsellors rather than the public, and the ordinary meaning, a consumer looking for someone who can lawfully help with unaffordable debt. The verified route for each is below.

Debt review and NCR contact details

The NCR asks specifically that queries go to these departmental addresses and not to the personal mailboxes of individual officials, which it publishes only as an escalation route once a turnaround time has passed. Email sent to an individual instead of the correct department, in its own words, will not be attended to at all.

Is there a debt counsellor called Debt Help?

There is no NCR-registered business trading under the plain name “Debt Help”. A register search on 4 September 2026 for that name returned Not Registered with NCR on both the debt counsellor and credit provider registers. A separate registered practice does trade as UD Debt-Help under registration NCRDC1053 in Uitenhage, which is a different business and easy to confuse with the generic phrase.

Check any counsellor on the NCR register at ncr.org.za before you hand over money or documents. Anyone offering debt counselling without an NCRDC registration number is operating unlawfully.

How debt review works through the DHS

  • The Debt Help System (DHS) is the platform through which debt review applications are recorded, transferred between counsellors, reinstated and amended, including joint profiles for married applicants. It is operated under the NCR debt counselling department, whose mandate is to monitor debt counsellors and payment distribution agents and to handle DHS queries.
  • Consumers do not log into DHS themselves. You reach it through a registered debt counsellor, who loads and maintains your matter on the system.
  • Debt review restructures what you repay each month through a court or tribunal order. It is the only debt relief mechanism the NCR supervises, and while you are under debt review you may not take new credit.
  • Debt review is not debt cancellation, and it is not administration or sequestration, which are separate legal processes run through the courts rather than the NCR.

Checking the NCR register, and its quirks

The NCR register is public and searchable at ncr.org.za by full name, trading name, registration number or town, across four separate lists: registered, voluntarily cancelled, cancelled by tribunal, and lapsed registrations. Check which list a counsellor appears on: a practice that has lapsed or been cancelled by the tribunal still appears on the site, just not on the registered list.

Departmental turnaround times are published per service, commonly three to five business days for registration matters and nine business days for a call centre enquiry or complaint.

One practical warning about the register itself: the telephone numbers displayed in its result rows have had their leading zero stripped, so a number shown as nine digits needs a leading zero to dial. Read the registration number and town as the reliable identifiers, and confirm the number with the practice.

Complaints about a debt counsellor or credit provider

  • Complaints about a debt counsellor or credit provider go to the NCR on 0860 627 627 or complaints@ncr.org.za, lodged on Form 29, with a reference number issued on acknowledgement.
  • Disputes with a bank, credit provider or insurer go to the National Financial Ombud on 0860 800 900, which now covers the work of the former Credit Ombud and Ombudsman for Banking Services.
  • Complaints about advice given when a product was sold go to the FAIS Ombud rather than the NCR.
  • Reckless lending, where credit was granted without a proper affordability assessment, is an NCR matter and can result in the agreement being set aside.
  • Beware of any service promising to erase, cancel or clear debt for an upfront fee. No lawful South African process deletes a valid debt; it can only be restructured, settled, prescribed or discharged through a court.

Frequently asked questions

What is the debt review contact number at the NCR?

Debt counselling and DHS queries are on 011 554 2607, 011 554 2691 and 011 554 2894. The general call centre and complaints line is 0860 627 627.

How do I check if a debt counsellor is registered?

Search the NCR register at ncr.org.za by full name, trading name, registration number or town. A lawful counsellor carries an NCRDC registration number; check which list the practice appears on, because lapsed and cancelled registrations still show on the site.

Is there a company called Debt Help?

A register search on 4 September 2026 returned Not Registered with NCR for the plain name “Debt Help”. The registered practice UD Debt-Help (NCRDC1053) in Uitenhage is a different business.

How do I complain about my debt counsellor?

Lodge a complaint with the NCR on 0860 627 627 or complaints@ncr.org.za, on Form 29. You get a reference number on acknowledgement, and the published turnaround is nine business days for a call centre enquiry or complaint.

What is the debt review email address at the NCR?

DHS profile and access matters go to DHSupdates@ncr.org.za, debt counsellor returns to DCreturns@ncr.org.za, complaints to complaints@ncr.org.za and general enquiries to info@ncr.org.za. The NCR asks that you use the departmental address, not an individual’s mailbox.

Sources

  • National Credit Regulator registers of debt counsellors and credit providers, ncr.org.za, searched 4 September 2026.
  • NCR Circular 3 of 2025, NCR Contact Details – departmental telephone numbers, dedicated mailboxes, turnaround times and the instruction to use departmental rather than individual addresses.
  • NCR homepage contact block, ncr.org.za – call centre, reception and general mailboxes.