PSiRA deadlines for security businesses — renewals, annual fees and the compliance self-assessment

A security business runs on four clocks: PSiRA registration for the business, PSiRA registration for every officer, the annual PSiRA fee cycle that turns over with the 1 April financial year, and the bargaining council wage year that starts 1 March. Lose any one of them and contracts — particularly public-sector contracts — fall away immediately.

Reviewed by TefCo Compliance Research — last verified 7 September 2026.

In short

Registration with PSiRA is a precondition for rendering a security service (Private Security Industry Regulation Act 56 of 2001, section 20).
PSiRA fees are reviewed annually and track the 1 April financial year; the increase is gazetted.
PSiRA requires security businesses to complete an annual industry compliance self-assessment.
Private security minimum wages run on a 1 March to 28/29 February year under the bargaining council's main collective agreement.

The four clocks

What	Cycle	Why it bites
Security business registration (PSiRA)	Continuous, with renewal and annual fees	Without it you may not lawfully render a security service
Security officer registration and ID cards	Per officer, with renewal fees	An unregistered officer on site is an immediate finding
PSiRA annual fees	Reviewed annually, tracking the 1 April financial year	Gazetted increases change your cost base and your renewal budget
Bargaining council minimum wage	Wage year from 1 March to end February	Underpaying from 1 March creates arrears plus exposure

Confirm your own renewal dates on the PSiRA system — they depend on when each registration was issued, not on a single national date.

Registration is the licence to trade

The Private Security Industry Regulation Act 56 of 2001 establishes PSiRA in section 2 and requires security service providers to be registered before rendering a security service in section 20. In practice, both the business and each individual officer must be registered and in good standing.

Clients — especially organs of state — routinely require a current PSiRA letter of good standing with a bid or before site access. A registration that has lapsed is not a paperwork problem; it disqualifies the bid.

The annual fee cycle

PSiRA reviews its fee schedule annually and consults the industry before the new financial year. The increase is given effect by notice in the Government Gazette, made under the Private Security Industry Regulation Act 56 of 2001, sections 43 and 44, read with the Security Officers Act 92 of 1987.

Because the schedule changes each year, budget from the current published schedule rather than last year's invoice. Registration, renewal, certificate and ID card fees all move.

Fee amounts change every cycle. Take the current figure from PSiRA's published administration fee schedule before you pay or budget.

The annual compliance self-assessment

PSiRA requires registered security businesses to complete an annual mandatory industry compliance self-assessment. It is issued as a reminder to the industry each cycle and is completed on PSiRA's platform.

Treat it as an audit rehearsal. The questions map closely to what an inspector checks on site: registration status of officers, training records, firearm control, uniform and equipment, and employment conditions.

The wage year is a compliance deadline too

Private security wages are set by the sector's main collective agreement through the National Bargaining Council for the Private Security Sector. The wage year runs from 1 March to the end of February. The council's February 2026 circular confirmed that the previous wage table ended on 28 February 2026 and that new minimum wages and allowances applied from 1 March 2026 to 28 February 2027.

Payroll changes must be in place for the March payroll run, not backdated later. Arrears in this sector attract council enforcement and are a standard finding in client audits.

What happens if you miss one

Lapsed business registration: you may not lawfully render a security service, and bids requiring a PSiRA letter fail.
Unregistered officers on site: an immediate inspection finding and a contract risk with your client.
Unpaid annual fees: registration status is affected and letters of good standing are withheld.
Late wage implementation: arrears, council enforcement and exposure under the collective agreement.

Specific fine amounts under the Private Security Industry Regulation Act 56 of 2001 are set in the Act and its regulations and change with amendments. We do not publish rand figures we cannot verify against the current text.

Frequently asked

When do PSiRA fees change?

PSiRA reviews its fees annually around the start of its 1 April financial year, after industry consultation, and the increase is published by notice in the Government Gazette.

Does every security officer need to be registered?

Yes. Registration with PSiRA is required before rendering a security service, under the Private Security Industry Regulation Act 56 of 2001, section 20.

When do private security minimum wages change?

On 1 March each year, under the sector's main collective agreement through the National Bargaining Council for the Private Security Sector.

What is the industry compliance self-assessment?

An annual mandatory self-assessment PSiRA requires registered security businesses to complete, covering registration, training, equipment and employment compliance.

Sources

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.