Deadline alerts and date changes - what needs attention now
South African deadlines closing this week, dates announced for the next 30 days, corrections to dates we previously published, and the deadlines officials have announced without setting a date.
Nothing in our dataset closes within the next seven days. 12 dated items fall inside the next 30 days, and 19 deadlines have been announced without a confirmed date.
Last reviewed 2026-10-15 · next scheduled review 2026-10-14
Closing within seven days
No tracked deadline closes in the next seven days. The next 30 days are listed below.
The next 30 days
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Fri 23 Oct 2026
Confirmed In 8 days2026 NSC Mathematics Paper 1 and Mathematical Literacy Paper 1
Mathematics Paper 1, Mathematical Literacy Paper 1 and Technical Mathematics Paper 1 will be written at 09:00 on Friday 23 October 2026. These are the highest-enrolment papers in the NSC timetable, with well over half a million candidates expected to write nationally.
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Fri 23 Oct 2026
Confirmed In 8 daysSARS deadline: non-provisional individual income tax returns close
Individual taxpayers who are not provisional taxpayers must submit their ITR12 income tax return for the 2026 year of assessment by Friday 23 October 2026. This is the largest single tax deadline in South Africa. Late submission attracts an administrative penalty of between R250 and R16 000 per month per outstanding return, which repeats for up to 35 months.
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Mon 26 Oct 2026
Confirmed In 11 days2026 NSC Mathematics Paper 2 and Mathematical Literacy Paper 2
Mathematics Paper 2, Mathematical Literacy Paper 2 and Technical Mathematics Paper 2 will be written at 09:00 on Monday 26 October 2026. Candidates should confirm their own paper(s) against the official DBE timetable, because Technical Mathematics follows a different paper structure.
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Wed 28 Oct 2026
Confirmed In 13 days2026 NSC English Home Language, FAL and SAL Paper 1
English Home Language, First Additional Language and Second Additional Language Paper 1 will be written at 09:00 on Wednesday 28 October 2026. English is compulsory for the NSC, so this is the single largest paper on the timetable.
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Fri 30 Oct 2026
Confirmed In 15 days2026 NSC Physical Sciences Paper 1 and Technical Sciences Paper 1
Physical Sciences Paper 1 and Technical Sciences Paper 1 will be written at 09:00 on Friday 30 October 2026. Physical Sciences Paper 2 follows on Monday 2 November 2026, after which the timetable pauses for three non-examination days.
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Sat 31 Oct 2026
Confirmed In 16 daysEmployer interim EMP501 reconciliation for the 2026/27 tax year
Employers must submit the interim EMP501 reconciliation covering the period 1 March 2026 to 31 August 2026 by 31 October 2026. The reconciliation must match the EMP201 returns already submitted and the IRP5/IT3(a) certificates issued to employees. Mismatches are the most common cause of SARS verification queries.
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Sat 31 Oct 2026
Corrected In 16 daysNSFAS 2027 applications close - date shown on the NSFAS application guide
The NSFAS application guide for 2027 displays 31 October 2026 as the closing date. Because the ministerial launch announcement gave a later date of 18 November 2026, Find SA Status recommends applicants treat 31 October as the effective deadline and submit well before it. Applying early also leaves time to correct a rejected document upload, which is the most common reason an application fails.
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Sun 1 Nov 2026 – Wed 31 Mar 2027
Tentative In 167 daysCOIDA Return of Earnings (W.As.8) submission window
Employers registered with the Compensation Fund must submit a Return of Earnings - the W.As.8 form - covering the twelve months to the end of February. The submission window historically runs from 1 November to 31 March, and the assessment determines the employer's annual assessment tariff payable to the Compensation Fund. Employers who miss the deadline face penalties and a possible estimated assessment.
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3 Nov – 5 Nov 2026
Confirmed In 21 days2026 NSC non-examination days in November
The DBE timetable marked Tuesday 3, Wednesday 4 and Thursday 5 November 2026 as non-examination days, with a further non-examination day on Monday 9 November 2026. These gaps exist to allow for marking logistics and to separate subjects that would otherwise clash for candidates taking unusual subject combinations.
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Tue 3 Nov 2026
Confirmed In 19 daysSASSA Older Persons Grant payment - November 2026
The Older Persons Grant and War Veterans Grant are paid on Tuesday 3 November 2026. SASSA staggers payments across three days each month to reduce congestion and cash-in-transit risk at pay points and retail tills.
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Wed 4 Nov 2026
Confirmed In 20 daysSASSA Disability and Care Dependency Grant payment - November 2026
Disability Grants and Care Dependency Grants are paid on Wednesday 4 November 2026. Note that 25 November 2026 marks the start of the 16 Days of Activism campaign, and SASSA advises beneficiaries to be especially cautious about carrying cash at pay points around this period.
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Thu 5 Nov 2026
Confirmed In 21 daysSASSA Child Support and other grants payment - November 2026
Child Support Grants, Foster Child Grants and Grant-in-Aid are paid on Thursday 5 November 2026. Beneficiaries whose grants are under review are typically paid one or two days later than the main cycle.
Announced, but no date yet
Officials have said these are coming. They have not published a date, so we do not invent one.
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Date not yet announced
2026 Municipal (Local Government) Elections
South Africa's municipal elections are held every five years. The previous municipal elections were held on 1 November 2021, which means the next ordinary municipal elections are constitutionally due by early November 2026. The exact polling date is proclaimed by the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs and published in the Government Gazette. At the time this record was last verified, no proclamation date for the 2026 municipal elections had been published in a form Find SA Status could confirm, so no date is shown.
Publishing an unproclaimed election date would be actively harmful - employers, schools and voters make real decisions around it. The every-15-minute election fetcher polls the IEC and Government Printing Works so this record is updated within minutes of a proclamation. Polling day is a public holiday by law once proclaimed.
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Date not yet announced
2026 NSC results release date
The Department of Basic Education had not announced a release date for the 2026 National Senior Certificate results at the time this record was last verified. For the class of 2025, the Minister announced the national results on 12 January 2026 and candidates could access their own results online from 06:00 on 13 January 2026. Candidates should treat mid-January 2027 as the expected window but must confirm the actual date on the DBE website or their school.
Date deliberately left null. The 'every 15 minutes' matric fetcher exists specifically to catch this announcement and open a pull request the moment DBE publishes it. Publishing an unverified date would be worse than publishing none.
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Date not yet announced
B-BBEE sworn affidavit - annual renewal for EMEs and QSEs
An Exempted Micro-Enterprise with an annual turnover below R10 million can claim a B-BBEE status level using a sworn affidavit rather than a verified certificate. The affidavit must be signed before a Commissioner of Oaths and is valid for twelve months from the date of signing. Businesses that let an affidavit lapse lose their B-BBEE status for tendering purposes immediately, which is the single most common avoidable disqualification in South African public tenders.
This recurs annually on the anniversary of the entity's financial year end, which differs between businesses. There is no national date - renew before the affidavit's current validity lapses.
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Date not yet announced
Certificate of roadworthiness validity - 12 months
A certificate of roadworthiness is valid for twelve months from the date of issue. It is required when a vehicle changes ownership, when a vehicle is re-registered after a change of engine or chassis, and for certain classes of vehicle on a recurring basis. A roadworthy certificate is issued by an accredited testing station, not by the licensing department itself.
Not a fixed date: this describes the twelve-month validity of a certificate issued on a particular day. Each certificate's expiry depends on when it was issued.
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Date not yet announced
CIPC annual returns - due on the anniversary of incorporation
Every company and close corporation registered with the CIPC must file an annual return within 30 business days of the anniversary of its incorporation date. The return is filed on the CIPC e-services portal. Filing late moves the company to 'annual return outstanding' status, and continued non-compliance leads to deregistration. Directors are personally affected because a deregistered company cannot trade, open a bank account or hold a contract.
Recurring anniversary-based deadline. The exact date depends on each company's own incorporation date - look it up on the CIPC portal rather than estimating.
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Date not yet announced
CIPC beneficial ownership filing - filed with the annual return
Since 2023, companies must file a beneficial ownership declaration alongside their annual return. The declaration identifies the natural persons who ultimately own or control the company. Companies that file an annual return without the beneficial ownership declaration have the return rejected.
This is a recurring obligation tied to each company's own annual return anniversary, not a single national date. The deadline is the company's annual return due date, which varies per company - check your own CIPC annual return date.
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Date not yet announced
Driver's licence card collection - 120 days to collect after approval
Once a driving licence card is produced, the licence holder is required to collect it within 120 days of the card being issued to the driving licence card account. Cards not collected within that period are destroyed. This is a frequent and expensive trap: many people assume the card is being held indefinitely and only discover it has been destroyed when they are asked to apply again and repay.
Not a fixed date: this is the 120-day collection period that starts when a specific card is produced for a specific applicant. It runs per person, from the date the card is issued to the card account.
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Date not yet announced
Late school admission applications for the 2027 school year
School admission for public schools in South Africa is managed by provincial education departments, not nationally. Each province runs its own online admission window, and the dates differ: Gauteng, the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and others publish separate application periods, usually closing between May and August of the preceding year. Parents who missed their province's window should contact the district office directly, because late placement is still possible where places exist.
No single national date exists. The guide page links to each province's official admissions portal - Find SA Status deliberately does not fabricate a national deadline.
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Date not yet announced
Re-mark and re-check applications for the 2026 NSC - expected window
Re-mark and re-check applications for the 2026 NSC results are administered by provincial education departments, not by the DBE nationally, and each province sets its own window and fee. The Western Cape Education Department has published its window as 12 to 25 January 2027 with no late applications accepted. Candidates in other provinces must confirm their own provincial window, because there is no single national closing date.
Expected window, not an announced date. Each provincial education department sets and publishes its own re-mark and re-check dates after results are released, so no national date can be published until those notices appear.
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Date not yet announced
Recurring EMP201 PAYE/UIF/SDL deadline - 7th of each month
Employers must submit an EMP201 return and pay over employees' tax, UIF and SDL contributions by the 7th of the month following the month in which the remuneration was paid. When the 7th falls on a weekend or public holiday, the deadline moves to the next business day. Late payment attracts a 10% penalty plus interest.
A recurring monthly deadline rather than a single date. The exact date in any given month depends on weekends and public holidays.
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Date not yet announced
Recurring VAT201 return and payment deadline - bi-monthly and monthly vendors
Vendors on the standard bi-monthly cycle must submit a VAT201 return and pay the VAT due by the last business day of the month following the end of the tax period. Vendors with taxable supplies above R30 million are placed on the monthly cycle. Where the last day of the month falls on a weekend or public holiday, the deadline moves to the preceding business day. The standard VAT rate is 15%.
Recurring deadline. Your specific VAT period end date is shown on your VAT103 or on eFiling - always confirm there rather than relying on a general calendar.
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Date not yet announced
SASSA Older Persons Grant payment - January 2027
SASSA has not yet published the January 2027 payment dates at the time this record was last verified. SASSA normally publishes each month's schedule in a media release a few weeks ahead. The January cycle is the first to reflect any April-announced increase, though increases usually take effect in April rather than January, so the January 2027 amounts are expected to match the 2026 amounts until the Budget.
Date deliberately left null. Find SA Status will not publish a guessed grant payment date. The record is picked up automatically by the every-6-hours SASSA fetcher once the official schedule is released.
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Date not yet announced
Traffic fine payment window and discounted-payment option
Where a notice is issued for an infringement and paid within 32 days, some issuing authorities allow a reduced admission-of-guilt amount. After that window the full amount applies, and an unpaid fine is referred for a warrant or a summons. Early payment options differ between AARTO-operational areas and non-AARTO provinces, which is why a fine that offers a discount in Gauteng may not offer one in the Western Cape.
AARTO rollout status differs by province and has changed repeatedly. The guide links to each issuing authority rather than asserting a single national rule.
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Date not yet announced
UIF monthly declaration and payment - by the 7th of the following month
Employers must declare their employees to the Unemployment Insurance Fund and pay contributions monthly. The UIF contribution is 2% of earnings - 1% from the employer and 1% from the employee - on earnings up to the published monthly ceiling. Declarations are submitted through uFiling, and the payment deadline aligns with the EMP201 deadline of the 7th of the following month.
This obligation recurs every month and has no single annual date. The declaration is due by the 7th of the month following the month being declared, so the next deadline is always the 7th of next month.
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Date not yet announced
VAT Category A tax period ends - January, March, May, July, September, November
Vendors on the standard VAT Category A cycle have bi-monthly tax periods ending on the last day of January, March, May, July, September and November. A VAT201 return and payment are then due by the last business day of the following month, which gives Category A vendors roughly 30 days. Category B covers the alternate months. Most vendors with taxable supplies above R30 million are placed on the monthly Category C cycle.
Your own category is stated on your VAT registration notification and on eFiling. That is the only reliable source for your specific dates.
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Date not yet announced
Vehicle licence renewal - 21-day grace period after expiry
South African vehicle licence discs are valid for twelve months from the date of issue or from the expiry date of the previous disc where renewed within the renewal window. The issuing authority sends an MVL2 renewal notice by post or email roughly six to eight weeks before expiry. A 21-day grace period applies after the expiry date, after which the licence is overdue and penalties accumulate by month for the period the vehicle was unlicensed.
Renewal is due in the month of the anniversary of registration, not on the last day of the month. Check the disc itself - the expiry day matters for the grace period calculation.
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Date not yet announced
Vehicle licence renewal window opens - 2 months before expiry
You can renew a vehicle licence disc up to two months before the expiry date without losing any part of the twelve-month period. Renewing early is usually cheaper and faster because it avoids the penalty calculation and avoids the queues that build in the last week of every month at busy registering authorities.
Not a fixed date: this is the window that opens two months before each vehicle's own disc expiry month. Individual expiry dates differ per vehicle, so there is no single national date.
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Date not yet announced
Voter registration is open year-round at IEC offices
You do not have to wait for a registration weekend. South African citizens aged 16 and older can register to vote at any IEC local office during office hours, and only need a green barcoded ID book, a smart ID card or a valid temporary identity certificate. Citizens aged 16 and 17 can register but may only vote once they turn 18.
Registration is continuous rather than dated: it is open at IEC offices year-round, with additional registration weekends announced separately before an election. No single date applies.
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Date not yet announced
Voter registration weekend ahead of the next election
The IEC holds national voter registration weekends before major elections, when all voting stations open on a Saturday and Sunday for new registrations and address updates. Registration is also possible at a local IEC office on weekdays throughout the year. The dates of the next registration weekend had not been announced at the time this record was last verified.
Date deferred to the official IEC announcement.
Corrections and conflicting sources
Where an official source contradicts another official source, or where we published something that turned out to be wrong, it is recorded here rather than quietly edited.
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Corrected record
NSFAS 2027 applications close - date shown on the NSFAS application guide
The NSFAS application guide for 2027 displays 31 October 2026 as the closing date. Because the ministerial launch announcement gave a later date of 18 November 2026, Find SA Status recommends applicants treat 31 October as the effective deadline and submit well before it. Applying early also leaves time to correct a rejected document upload, which is the most common reason an application fails.
Status is 'corrected' because two official NSFAS sources conflict. See known_discrepancy in this file.
Last verified Tue 13 Oct 2026 · official source
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Corrected record
NSFAS 2027 applications close - date announced at the ministerial launch
The Minister of Higher Education and Training announced 18 November 2026 as the closing date for 2027 NSFAS applications at the launch on 18 September 2026. This is later than the date currently displayed on the NSFAS application guide. Applications close at 23:59 South African time.
See known_discrepancy in this file. Do not rely on the later date without confirming on myNSFAS.
Last verified Tue 13 Oct 2026 · official source
Our corrections policy explains how to report an error and what happens next.
Freshly verified
Records a human checked against the official source in the last fourteen days.
- CIPC annual returns - due on the anniversary of incorporation - verified Tue 13 Oct 2026
- CIPC beneficial ownership filing - filed with the annual return - verified Tue 13 Oct 2026
- UIF monthly declaration and payment - by the 7th of the following month - verified Tue 13 Oct 2026
- B-BBEE sworn affidavit - annual renewal for EMEs and QSEs - verified Tue 13 Oct 2026
- VAT Category A tax period ends - January, March, May, July, September, November - verified Tue 13 Oct 2026
- Voter registration is open year-round at IEC offices - verified Tue 13 Oct 2026
- New Year's Day 2026 - verified Tue 13 Oct 2026
- Recurring EMP201 PAYE/UIF/SDL deadline - 7th of each month - verified Tue 13 Oct 2026
- Recurring VAT201 return and payment deadline - bi-monthly and monthly vendors - verified Tue 13 Oct 2026
- Vehicle licence renewal - 21-day grace period after expiry - verified Tue 13 Oct 2026
- Vehicle licence renewal window opens - 2 months before expiry - verified Tue 13 Oct 2026
- Driver's licence card collection - 120 days to collect after approval - verified Tue 13 Oct 2026
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