Our Services
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The complete bursar service
We provide a full suite of financial services tailored specifically to schools.
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Our approach is proactive, practical, and always focused on giving leadership teams confidence in their financial decisions.
School Fee Management and Cash Flow
Fee income is the core of every school’s budget, and fee arrears can quickly threaten the sustainability of any school via low cash reserves or negative cash flow cycle where costs occur before income arrives. For this reason, Fee Management is our principal area of focus; the service at the heart of what we do.
School Fees
We provide an end-to-end service that ensures your school’s fee income is handled with accuracy, consistency, and transparency.
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Our work begins with billing and invoicing, making sure charges are raised on time and in line with your school’s policies. We then manage the full collections cycle: sending reminders, following up on arrears, and applying discounts or concessions where appropriate.
For families, this means clear communication and predictable processes; for your school, it means improved collections and reduced bad debts.
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Alongside collections, we carry out debt management reviews to monitor outstanding balances and track arrears trends. Where policies require escalation, we act professionally and objectively, ensuring the process is consistent and well-documented.
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This careful record-keeping makes any eventual handover to legal advisors or debt collection processes far smoother, as the school can demonstrate that every step was carried out fairly and in line with policy.
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Fee Budgeting
Each year, we consult with your board on the school’s fee schedule, recommending adjustments that reflect market conditions, benchmarks against peer schools, and projected inflation.
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This ensures that fee increases are both sustainable for the school and affordable for families, backed by transparent data that supports your decision-making. Our benchmarking and forecasting give governing bodies the confidence that fees are set responsibly and communicated clearly to the school community.
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We prepare cash flow forecasts and rolling projections so that boards and governing bodies can see the impact of income patterns on the school’s financial position.
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These forecasts are updated regularly, with variance analysis against budget to highlight where adjustments may be needed.
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The result is a service that brings all aspects of fee management under one roof: invoicing, collections, arrears tracking, debt management, concessions, and cash flow forecasting delivered in a way that keeps the school’s finances predictable and sustainable.
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Cash Flow
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The tax and compliance landscape for schools and non-profit organisations is complex and ever-changing.
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At the School Office, we specialise in helping schools navigate this environment with confidence, ensuring full compliance while unlocking every available concession and exemption.
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Tax & Compliance
Compliance
​We start by securing and maintaining your school’s tax-exempt status, guiding you through the registration and ongoing compliance requirements of the South African Revenue Service (SARS) as well as the Department of Social Development (for NPOs) and the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (for NPCs).
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This includes ensuring your school’s constitution or founding documents meet statutory requirements, that proper governance structures are in place, and that reporting obligations are consistently met. By aligning with these provisions, your school maintains credibility, transparency, and compliance with regulators.​​​
​Our service also covers the full cycle of statutory filings:
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Audited Accounts: preparing your accounts and reporting in a way that supports the annual audit process, working closely with auditors to ensure the requirements are met, helping your school achieve an unqualified (clean) audit opinion, demonstrating to boards, parents, regulators, and donors that your finances are in good order and responsibly managed.
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Income Tax Returns: compiling, reviewing, and submitting provisional and annual returns accurately and on time, ensuring all allowable exemptions are applied and that your school meets SARS obligations without penalty. Where required, we liaise directly with SARS to resolve queries quickly and efficiently.
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EMP201 and EMP501 Returns, and UI19 filings: preparing and submitting all employee-related statutory returns on a monthly and bi-annual basis, ensuring PAYE, and UIF contributions are calculated correctly and submitted on time. This protects your school from penalties while keeping your payroll fully compliant.
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Return of Earnings: preparing and filing the annual submission to the Compensation Fund, ensuring accurate reporting of earnings and contributions. By keeping this process up to date, we help your school maintain compliance and ensure staff are fully covered in terms of workplace injury legislation.
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Beneficial Ownership Disclosures (CIPC): assisting schools registered as Non-Profit Companies with the new CIPC requirements to declare beneficial ownership. This includes preparing and submitting ownership registers, ensuring accuracy in identifying individuals with significant control, and keeping records updated to avoid non-compliance penalties.
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Education Compliance Support: drafting and maintaining robust finance policies to assist in meeting the governance requirements of the Departments of Education.
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Exemptions and Concessions
​Beyond compliance, we work to maximise exemptions and concessions. This includes Section 10(1)(cN) relief for Public Benefit Organisations (PBOs), Section 18A certification so that fundraising donations are tax-deductible for parents and supporters.
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We also advise on Skills Development Levy (SDL) concessions, ensuring that schools benefit fully from available exemptions and rebates.
Accounting & Reporting
Accurate accounting is the foundation of trust. Boards rely on it for sound governance, parents expect it for transparency, and regulators demand it for compliance. At the School Office, we manage your school’s accounting processes end-to-end, ensuring that every transaction is captured, reconciled, and reported in a way that supports both oversight and decision-making.
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We handle monthly bookkeeping and reconciliations, processing income, expenses, and journals in line with professional accounting standards. Bank, debtor, and creditor reconciliations are completed promptly so that balances are always up to date and reliable.
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Our team also provides budgeting support and financial forecasting, helping schools prepare annual budgets that are realistic, sustainable, and aligned with strategic goals. We build rolling forecasts and carry out variance analysis against budget, so that boards and finance committees have a clear view of performance throughout the year.
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Just as important as the technical accuracy is the clarity of our reporting. We design reports to be accessible for non-financial readers, stripping away jargon and presenting information in a way that boards, principals, and governing bodies can understand immediately.
School Specific Advisory
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Fee Strategy & Communication: helping boards determine fee schedules that balance affordability with sustainability, benchmarking against peer schools, modelling the impact of inflation, and drafting clear communications for parents.
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Scenario & Risk Planning: preparing for “what if” situations such as enrollment changes, rising costs, or shifts in government policy, so leadership teams can act with foresight rather than react in crisis.
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Governance Support: equipping boards and finance committees with structured reports, policy frameworks, and workshops that improve financial literacy and strengthen decision-making.
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Donor & Fundraising Guidance: advising on the effective use of Section 18A for fundraising campaigns, ensuring donor receipts are compliant, and demonstrating transparency that builds trust with funders.
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Policy Development: drafting and reviewing finance-related policies, from debt collection frameworks to procurement and overall budgetary governance, ensuring alignment with Department of Education and Department of Labour expectations.
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Regulatory & Tax Law Updates: monitoring changes in tax legislation, SARS requirements, and education-sector regulations, and advising schools on the practical impact. We ensure statutory filings and governance documents are updated in line with new provisions, protecting your school from compliance risks and keeping leadership informed of emerging obligations.
Every school is unique. From independent schools to community-based institutions, no two financial journeys look the same.
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That’s why our advisory services go beyond standard accounting; we provide tailored guidance that helps schools navigate both everyday decisions and long-term strategy.​
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We support schools with:
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Capital Projects: assessing the financial viability of new facilities, classrooms, or upgrades; preparing business cases and funding models; and guiding schools through financing or loan applications.
