PSIRA fees explained: what officers and companies pay, how to pay safely, and what unpaid fees cost you
Registration, renewal, annual fees, the per-officer levy and fines: who pays which, and how to avoid the agents who take your money.
TenEight Team · 22 September 2026
PSIRA fees are the recurring cost of being allowed to work in, or run, a security business in South Africa, and they are also where a lot of money goes missing to people who are not PSIRA. Every officer pays to register and to renew. Every company pays to register, pays an annual fee, and pays for every officer it employs. And each fee is published in a schedule that changes every financial year.
Why PSIRA charges fees
PSIRA (the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority) is funded largely by the industry it regulates rather than by the fiscus. Registration fees, annual fees and levies pay for the register, the inspectorate, the enforcement work and the e-PSiRA portal. The fee schedule is set under the Private Security Industry Regulation Act and its regulations, and PSIRA publishes it each year. That is why the amounts move, and why anyone who tells you "the fee is always R-something" is out of date.
The PSIRA fees an individual officer pays
Registration. A once-off fee when you first register as a security officer, after Grade E. In the 2026/27 schedule the individual registration fee is R310 at the time of writing. Since 19 January 2026 there is also the pre-registration step before training, charged in the same range.
Renewal. Your registration certificate is valid for 24 months. The renewal carries a fee in the same region as registration. Our PSIRA renewal guide covers the process.
Grade and course updates. Recording a new grade or a specialist course against your registration can carry a small administrative fee, depending on how it is submitted.
Replacement cards and certificates. A lost or damaged card is replaced for a fee, on application with an affidavit.
Fines. PSIRA can impose fines on officers for breaches of the code of conduct, and an unpaid fine blocks a renewal.
None of these are large next to a month's wage. What is large is the cost of not paying them: an officer whose registration lapses over an unpaid fee is off the roster until it is settled.
The PSIRA fees a security business pays
Companies carry the heavier side of the schedule:
Business registration: a once-off fee to register the company as a security service provider, plus registration of each director or "responsible person", who must themselves be registered and trained.
Annual fee: every registered business pays an annual amount to keep the registration in good standing.
Per-officer monthly levy: businesses pay PSIRA an amount for every security officer in their employ each month, which is why the register and the payroll are supposed to match.
Course accreditation and training-provider fees, for companies that also train.
Fines for employing unregistered officers, underpaying, or other breaches found on inspection, which can run into large sums and can end in deregistration.
A company that is behind on its PSIRA fees is "not in good standing", and that status has consequences for its officers too: an officer's renewal can be queried when the employer of record is in arrears. If you are an officer, it is worth knowing whether your company is compliant. If you are hiring a company, ask for proof that it is.
How to pay PSIRA fees safely
Generate the reference on the e-PSiRA portal or receive it from a PSIRA office. Every payment needs a reference tied to your ID or the company's registration.
Pay only into PSIRA's published bank account or through the portal's payment options. Never pay cash to an individual, a training provider or an "agent" who promises to register you.
Keep the proof of payment and upload it where the portal asks.
Check the status on the portal after a few days. A payment that has not been allocated to your record is the most common cause of an application that sits.
What happens when fees are not paid
For officers: registration lapses at the end of the certificate period whether or not you noticed, and no renewal is processed with fees or fines outstanding. You cannot be posted until it is fixed. Employers check registration status, and so do PSIRA inspectors who visit sites.
For businesses: arrears lead to loss of good standing, which clients and tender boards check, then to inspection, fines and, in persistent cases, suspension or withdrawal of registration, at which point every officer on every post is working illegally.
Budgeting for PSIRA fees
For an officer, the registration or renewal fee arrives every two years and is small next to the wage it protects. The sensible move is to put the money aside in the month the reminder fires rather than the week before expiry. If you use TenEight, record your registration on your free profile and the compliance page will show you the expiry date you entered, so the fee never arrives as a surprise. Employers can budget the annual fee and the monthly per-officer levy from the headcount, and should reconcile them against the register every month, a mismatch is what inspectors look for first.
Quick answers
How much is PSIRA registration in 2026?
The individual registration fee is R310 in the 2026/27 schedule at the time of writing. Confirm the current amount on the PSIRA fee schedule before paying.
Do security companies pay PSIRA fees?
Yes: a business registration fee, an annual fee, a monthly levy for every officer employed, and fines for breaches found on inspection.
Can I pay PSIRA fees in cash to an agent?
No. Pay only against a portal reference into PSIRA's published account. Agents offering to fast-track registration for cash are the main source of fraud around PSIRA.
Sources
PSIRA, fee schedule, e-PSiRA portal and payment instructions. Fees change every financial year. Confirm the current schedule before relying on any figure here.