Bond cancellation fees calculator (South Africa)
Work out what cancelling your bond will cost — the attorney and Deeds Office fees, and the early-settlement charge the National Credit Act caps at three months’ interest. No signup needed.
How much does it cost to cancel a bond?
The fixed portion of cancelling a bond in South Africa is about R 4 111 including VAT — the cancellation attorney’s guideline fee of R 3 881 including VAT, plus R 178 to register the cancellation and R 52 to lodge it at the Deeds Office. Those figures are the same whatever you still owe.
What changes the total is the bank’s early-settlement charge. If the bond is still owing when you cancel, the National Credit Act caps that charge at three months’ interest on the outstanding balance — and reduces it by every month of notice you have already given. A fully paid-up bond pays no early-settlement charge at all, so its cancellation costs only the fixed fees above.
Fixed fees computed from the LSSA Guideline of Fees 2026 (effective 2026-07-01) and the Deeds Office schedule in Government Gazette No. 54225 (effective 2026-04-01). Estimates, not quotes — see the methodology below.
Enter your cancellation details
These numbers are illustrative estimates, not a quote. Your bank's written settlement figure governs the actual charges.
Last updated: 2026-09-12. Prime is shown as 10.5% and used only to estimate the early-settlement charge — the bank’s written settlement figure governs.
| Cost item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Cancellation attorney fee (incl. VAT) [1] | R 3 881 |
| Deeds Office cancellation fee [2] | R 178 |
| Deeds Office lodgement fee [2] | R 52 |
| Early-settlement charge (NCA-capped) [3] | R 21 000 |
| Estimated total | R 25 111 |
[1] LSSA Guideline of Fees 2026, item "Cancellation, Cession & Variation of Bonds", effective 2026-07-01. Guidelines are negotiable; banks appoint their own panel attorneys, so actual accounts vary.
[2] Deeds Office Schedule of Fees of Office, Government Gazette No. 54225, effective 2026-04-01. Fixed statutory disbursements.
[3] National Credit Act, No. 34 of 2005, section 125(2)(c) — capped at three months’ interest less notice given. A fully paid-up bond carries no early-settlement charge.
This estimate excludes bank admin fees (your settlement quote lists any) and rates/levy clearance figures, which are municipality- and complex-dependent.
Estimate only — guideline and statutory figures, plus simple interest on the outstanding balance at your entered rate. Not a quote. The bank’s written settlement quote (free within 5 business days) governs the actual figures.
Cancel for less — time your notice
Every month of notice you give before settlement cuts the capped early-settlement charge. A bond consultant can check your notice position against your sale timeline.
Notice is worth real money: a worked example
Take a bond with R 800 000 still owing at the current prime rate of 10.50% (as of 2026-09-12). Cancel with no notice of settlement given and the bank can levy the full capped charge — three months’ interest, or R 21 000. Added to the fixed fees, the worst case is R 25 111 before rates and levy clearances.
Give the typical 90-day notice before the sale settles, though, and the capped charge falls away entirely: the same cancellation then costs only R 4 111 — the fixed attorney and Deeds Office fees. On this one example, timing the notice is worth R 21 000.
Worked example at prime (10.50%, 2026-09-12); your actual rate may differ. Edit every input in the calculator above to match your bond.
How the calculator works
The fixed fees come from the LSSA Guideline of Fees 2026 for cancellation, cession and variation of bonds (effective 2026-07-01), plus the Deeds Office statutory fees from Government Gazette No. 54225 (effective 2026-04-01) — each shown with VAT where it applies. The early-settlement charge follows section 125(2)(c) of the National Credit Act: three months’ simple interest on the outstanding balance at your entered rate, less any notice of settlement already given.
Two things are deliberately not estimated. Bank admin fees vary by bank and are not in the guideline pack this calculator draws on — request your written settlement figure (free within five business days) and it will list any. Rates and levy clearance figures are set by your municipality or managing agent and can be substantial — flag them in your budget rather than trusting an estimate.
For the full picture — who pays what in a sale, the attorney process step by step, and how cancellation interacts with a simultaneous transfer — read the guide to bond cancellation costs in South Africa.
Assumptions: attorney and Deeds Office figures are guideline/statutory amounts that do not scale with the bond balance; early-settlement interest is simple interest on the outstanding balance at the entered annual nominal rate; VAT applies to attorney fees only, not Deeds Office fees. Rand values are rounded for display only — calculations keep full precision.
Fee figures last updated 2026-09-09 (LSSA), 2026-09-09 (Deeds Office). Prime rate 10.50% as of 2026-09-12.
What to do next
- Selling, and want the full who-pays-what picture? Read the complete guide to bond cancellation costs.
- Owing less than you thought? See how extra payments shorten the road — and cut the balance the settlement charge is calculated on — with the extra bond payment calculator.
- Buying at the same time? Budget the other side of the transaction with the bond and transfer cost calculator.
- Want a human to check your notice position against your sale timeline? Talk to a registered bond consultant.
This calculator is for illustration only and does not constitute financial advice. Guideline fees are negotiable, banks appoint their own panel attorneys, and your settlement figure governs. Figures current as of 2026-09-09.
Common questions about bond cancellation fees
How much does it cost to cancel a bond in South Africa?
The fixed portion — the cancellation attorney's guideline fee plus Deeds Office fees — comes to about R 4 111 including VAT, regardless of what you still owe. If the bond is not yet paid off, the bank may also levy an early-settlement charge, which the National Credit Act caps at three months' interest on the outstanding balance and reduces by any notice of settlement you have given. On a fully paid-up bond there is no early-settlement charge, so the fixed fees are the whole picture.
Do you pay cancellation fees if your bond is fully paid up?
Yes. Even with a zero balance, cancelling the bond at the Deeds Office still requires a cancellation attorney and payment of the Deeds Office registration and lodgement fees — roughly R 4 111 including VAT in total. The only charge a paid-up bond avoids is the early-settlement interest, which applies only when you settle an outstanding balance early.
How does the 90-day notice reduce the early-settlement charge?
Under section 125(2)(c) of the National Credit Act, the early-settlement charge is capped at three months' interest on the amount you still owe, reduced by the notice of settlement you have given the bank. Give the full notice (typically 90 days, i.e. three months) before the sale settles and the capped charge falls to zero; cancel with no notice and you can be charged the full three months' interest. On an R 800 000 balance at the current prime rate of 10.50%, that is the difference between roughly R 21 000 and nothing.
Who pays the bond cancellation fees when you sell?
The seller does. Cancelling the seller’s existing bond is part of the transfer process, and the cancellation attorney’s fee, Deeds Office fees and any early-settlement charge come out of the seller’s side of the transaction — usually deducted from the sale proceeds on settlement day. The buyer’s costs (transfer duty, bond registration and their own attorney fees) are separate.
What does this calculator leave out?
Two things deliberately. First, bank admin fees: these vary by bank and appear on the written settlement figure you can request free of charge within five business days under the National Credit Act. Second, rates and levy clearance figures, which are set by your municipality or managing agent and can be substantial — they are property-specific, so the calculator flags them instead of estimating them.
One application puts every major bank to work for you
Whether you're cancelling to sell or bonding for the next home, one application goes to every major South African bank. No phone calls unless you ask.