Start a construction company

A building contractor answers to more regulators than almost any other small business: CIPC for the company, the CIDB before any public tender, the NHBRC before any home, and the Compensation Fund before anyone sets foot on site. This pack registers all of them in one order, and tells you honestly which ones you can skip.

R4 990our fee for all five · saves R760 · CIDB, NHBRC and Compensation Fund fees paid at cost

Independent paperwork service. ProperSA is an independent private company. We are not CIPC, the CIDB, the NHBRC, the Compensation Fund or the Department of Employment and Labour. Every one of these registrations can be done directly with the authority yourself, and UIF registration is free to do. Our fee pays for the preparation, the submission and the follow-up.

What is included

Company registration at CIPC, R790 on its ownYour private company registered, with the R175 in CIPC fees already included. Every other registration in this pack is made in the company’s name, so it comes first.
CIDB Grade 1, R1 490 on its ownYour contractor registration prepared and submitted on the CIDB’s register with the right class of works chosen. Grade 1 has no qualifying criteria and lets you bid for public construction work up to R500 000 in each class you register for. The CIDB activates a complete application within 48 working hours.
NHBRC home builder registration, R1 490 on its ownAnyone in the business of building homes must be registered with the National Home Builders Registration Council before the first one. The application prepared and submitted, and the enrolment process for each home explained so the first project does not stall.
COIDA registration, R1 290 on its ownRegistration with the Compensation Fund, your first return of earnings filed and your first letter of good standing requested. Construction sits in one of the higher tariff classes, so we confirm your subclass before the registration goes in rather than letting the Fund guess.
UIF registration, R690 on its ownRegistered as an employer with the Unemployment Insurance Fund with your monthly declaration routine set up, so the deductions you make off your workers actually reach the Fund.
A written answer on which of these you actually needTell us what you will build. If you do not build homes we drop the NHBRC. If you will not bid for public work we drop the CIDB. You pay for what applies, not for the bundle.
A renewal calendar for all fiveNHBRC annual membership, the return of earnings season, UIF declarations and the CIPC annual return in one calendar. CIDB Grade 1 has no annual fee.

Start my construction company for R4 990

Not sure this is the right one for you? Ask us first and you get a written answer within one business day.

What this costs in total

Our fee is the only money that comes to us. Everything below is paid to the authority at cost, with no mark up, and we show you each amount before it is paid.

Our fee, R4 990. The five registrations come to R5 750 bought separately, so the pack saves you R760.
CIDB, R450 for each class of works at Grade 1. No annual fee.
NHBRC, R745.61 to apply and R526.32 a year in membership, so R1 271.93 in the first year. Each home you build is then enrolled separately at a fee the NHBRC sets on the value of the home.
The Compensation Fund’s annual assessment, separate and paid to the Fund. The minimum is roughly R1 621 a year for 2026/27 and your figure depends on payroll and subclass. Your letter of good standing issues once it is paid.
CIPC and UIF. CIPC’s R175 is already inside our company registration fee. UIF registration is free.

What it deliberately leaves out

CSD registration and a tax clearance PIN, R490 and R450. Needed for any public tender, but they belong with the bid rather than the company, and both are in the Tender Starter bundle if you would rather add them there.
PAYE, UIF and SDL with SARS, R890. Required once any worker earns above the tax threshold. Most new contractors get there within months, so we say so rather than hiding it.
Electrical contractor registration, R690. Only if you do electrical work yourself rather than subcontracting it.
Bargaining council registration, R690. Where a building industry council agreement has been extended to your area, you are bound by it whether you joined or not. We tell you if that is you.

What we will need from you

Your preferred company names, or tell us to register a number company.
Identity documents for every director and the shareholding split.
What you will build: homes, commercial, civils, renovations. This decides the CIDB class of works, whether the NHBRC applies at all, and the COIDA subclass.
How many people you expect to employ in the first year, including any directors on a salary, and roughly what you will pay them.
The address you will operate from.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need both CIDB and NHBRC?

Only if you do both kinds of work. CIDB registration is what lets you bid for public construction work; no government department may award construction work to a contractor who is not on the register. NHBRC registration is what lets you build homes; anyone in the business of building homes must be registered before the first one. A contractor doing private commercial fit outs needs neither. Tell us what you will actually build and we drop what you do not need and price only the rest.

What does it cost in total, including the authorities’ own fees?

Our fee is R4 990 for all five. On top of that you pay the authorities at cost: the CIDB charges R450 for each class of works at Grade 1 with no annual fee, the NHBRC charges R745.61 to apply and R526.32 a year in membership, so R1 271.93 in the first year, and the Compensation Fund raises its own annual assessment with a minimum of roughly R1 621 for 2026/27. CIPC’s R175 is already inside our company registration fee and UIF registration is free.

How long does the whole thing take?

The company registration is a few working days. The CIDB activates a complete Grade 1 application within 48 working hours of submission and payment. COIDA is the long pole, typically 2 to 6 weeks for first time registration, and your letter of good standing issues once the assessment is paid. The NHBRC takes four to six weeks from a complete application to a registration certificate. Budget four to eight weeks from ordering to being able to sign a contract and put people on site lawfully.

Can I start work while the registrations are in progress?

Not on a home, and not on a public contract. Building a home without NHBRC registration is an offence under the Housing Consumers Protection Measures Act, and no organ of state may award construction work to an unregistered contractor. Private commercial work is different, but a client site will still ask for your COIDA letter of good standing before your people go through the gate.

What does Grade 1 let me bid for?

Public construction work up to R500 000 in each class of works you register for, with no qualifying criteria and no documents to upload. Higher grades need assessed financial and works capability and are a separate service at R2 990.

What if I already have the company?

Then do not buy this pack. Tell us what you already have and we price only what is missing. On their own, CIDB Grade 1 is R1 490, NHBRC registration R1 490, COIDA registration R1 290 and UIF registration R690.

This is an administrative service performed with your authority on your own profiles with CIPC, the CIDB, the NHBRC, the Compensation Fund and the Department of Employment and Labour. ProperSA is not a registered tax practitioner and does not provide legal advice; where a matter needs a qualified professional, we say so and refer you before any work starts. Authority fees quoted are from the current published schedules and change. Turnaround times quoted are the authorities’ own and are outside our control.