HPCSA and private practice compliance deadlines in South Africa
HPCSA annual fees are due and payable with effect from 1 April each year — for 2026/27 they were gazetted on 9 January 2026. CPD no longer works as a once-a-year total: each point is valid for 12 months from the date of the activity, so practitioners must hold a rolling balance rather than catch up in December.
Reviewed by TefCo Compliance Research — last verified 7 September 2026.
In short
- HPCSA annual fees: due and payable with effect from 1 April (Health Professions Act 56 of 1974, section 62).
- CPD points are valid for 12 months from the date of the activity — a rolling requirement.
- SANC moved to electronic annual practising certificates from 2026.
- Dispensing and medicine licences run under the Medicines and Related Substances Act 101 of 1965, section 22C.
The practitioner's own dates
| Obligation | Timing | Source |
|---|---|---|
| HPCSA annual fee | Due and payable with effect from 1 April | Board Notice 870 of 2026 |
| CPD points | Rolling — each point valid 12 months from the activity date | Amended CPD rules, Board Notice 564 of 2024 |
| SANC annual practising certificate | Annual; issued electronically from 2026 | SANC circular, June 2025 |
| SAHPRA / dispensing licence renewal | Per the licence and SAHPRA's renewal guideline | Medicines Act 101 of 1965, section 22C |
Fee amounts are gazetted each year. Confirm the current amount on the HPCSA notice before paying — and confirm SANC's current fee and due date directly with SANC.
The CPD change most practitioners still get wrong
Under the amended rules made under the Health Professions Act 56 of 1974, section 26, each CPD point is valid for 12 months from the date on which the activity took place. That means a practitioner must maintain a minimum balance at all times, not accumulate a total by year end.
When the change took effect, the boards allowed a three-month catch-up period from 1 April to 30 June 2025 for practitioners who were behind. That window has closed.
Registrars in medicine and dentistry and community service practitioners are exempt from the CPD requirement.
The minimum number of CEUs differs by professional category, and practitioners registered in more than one category within the same board carry 30 CEUs per profession. Check your own category in the current HPCSA CPD guideline.
Licences to dispense
Manufacturing, wholesaling and distributing medicine is licensed by SAHPRA under the Medicines and Related Substances Act 101 of 1965, section 22C. Practitioner dispensing licences for doctors and other non-pharmacists are handled by the Department of Health's licensing unit on its own application form.
Renewal is a submission process rather than an automatic rollover, so the diary entry should be the submission date, not the expiry date.
Frequently asked
What happens if the HPCSA annual fee is not paid?
Non-payment leads to erasure from the register. Practising while erased is practising unregistered, which is a far bigger problem than the fee.
Can I still bank CPD points in December for the whole year?
No. Each point expires 12 months after the activity, so an audit looks at your rolling balance on the day.
Do nurses employed in my practice need their own certificates?
Yes. Each nurse holds their own SANC registration and annual practising certificate, issued electronically from 2026.
Sources
- HPCSA annual fees 2026/27 (Board Notice 870 of 2026)
- gov.za — Health Professions Act: annual fees payable by registered practitioners (9 January 2026)
- HPCSA — important update to the CPD programme
- Board Notice 564 of 2024 — amended rules relating to continuing education and training
- SANC circular — electronic annual practising certificates from 2026
- SAHPRA — pharmaceutical licensing (Medicines Act section 22C)
- Department of Health — dispensing licence application form
TefCo Corporate Compliance (Pty) Ltd is a compliance management platform, not a legal, tax or advisory firm. This guide is general information, not advice. Fees, dates and thresholds change — confirm current figures with the regulator before you rely on them.
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