FIC 2026 RCR Deadline Is Coming. Are You Ready?
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The 30 June 2026 deadline is weeks away. If you are a registered accountable institution and you have not yet submitted your 2026 Risk and Compliance Return (RCR), the clock is running out.
The Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) published Public Compliance Communication 60 (PCC 60) on 12 June 2026 in a web notice. It spells out exactly how to complete and submit the 2026 RCR under Directive 11 of 2026. This is not optional guidance. PCC 60 is authoritative, and the FIC has made clear that non-compliance may lead to administrative sanctions. Here is what you need to know.
Who Must Submit
Directive 11 applies to accountable institutions under these Schedule 1 items of the FIC Act:
Item 1 (legal practitioners)
Item 2 (trust and company service providers)
Item 3 (estate agents)
Item 9 (casinos and non-casino gambling entities)
Item 11 (credit providers, excluding banks, mutual banks, and co-operative bank credit providers)
Item 14, 20, 21, and 22 (including crypto asset service providers and high-value goods dealers)
Banks, mutual banks, and co-operative bank credit providers under Item 11 are excluded.
If you provide company or trust registration services to clients, you almost certainly fall under Item 2. As covered in our earlier guide, Are You FIC-Registered? What Every Accountant Must Know Now, many accounting practices registered without realising the full scope of their obligations. Now is the time to check.
One Submission Per Org ID
The FIC is firm on this: each registered accountable institution submits one consolidated 2026 RCR, covering its head office and all branches. Branches do not submit separately unless they are structured as separate legal entities.
Important note: If your practice operates across more than one Schedule 1 category - for example you are a trust and company services provider and an estate agent, you need a separate RCR for each. A legal practitioner who also provides trust and company services may need to submit up to three separate RCRs, one for each Org ID held with the FIC.
Franchise networks are also not branch networks. Each franchise entity is its own accountable institution and must register and submit separately.
Third-party service providers are not allowed to submit on your behalf. The compliance officer, together with senior management, carries the responsibility for submission.
The Reporting Periods
For Items 1, 2, 3, and 9, the data must cover three full years:
Year 1: 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024
Year 2: 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025
Year 3: 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026
For Items 11 (credit providers), 14, 20, 21, and 22, the data covers three periods starting from 1 July 2023:
Period 1: 1 July 2023 to 31 March 2024
Period 2: 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025
Period 3: 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026
You must complete all three years or periods in full before submitting. You cannot submit a partial return.
The Deadlines
Schedule 1 ItemsSubmission DueItem 11 (credit providers), 14, 21, 2230 June 2026 at 17:00Item 2 and Item 9 (casinos)30 June 2026 at 17:00Items 1, 3, and Item 9 (non-casinos)31 July 2026 at 17:00Item 20 (high-value goods dealers)31 July 2026 at 17:00
Submissions opened on 4 May 2026. If you have not started yet, start today.
How to Submit
You submit via the FIC's online RCR platform, accessed through the FIC website. To log in, you use your existing goAML credentials. You must have an Org ID to submit. If you are not yet registered with the FIC, you cannot submit. Register on goAML immediately.
The FIC recommends downloading the sample questionnaire template from its website, completing it offline first, then transposing your answers into the online form. This reduces errors and avoids losing your work.
You can save your progress as you go, across multiple sessions if needed. But once submitted, the return cannot be changed or withdrawn. If you discover an error after submission, you must contact the FIC directly with a written compliance query.
Only your Org ID goes in the Org ID field. Not your ID number. Not your company registration number.
The Consequences of Not Submitting
The FIC has consistently enforced these obligations. As covered in the FIC Warning to Accountants, penalties have already been imposed on hundreds of businesses for failing to submit previous RCRs. Fines have ranged from R10,000 to R50,000. Repeat non-compliance pushes penalties higher.
The FIC has also clarified in PCC 60 that even where an institution has not followed FIC guidance, it must still be able to demonstrate that it complied with the underlying FIC Act obligation in an equivalent way. Silence is not a defence.
Practical Takeaway
If you are registered as an accountable institution under any of the relevant Schedule 1 items, do these things now:
Confirm how many Org IDs you hold and how many separate RCRs you need to submit.
Download the sample questionnaire from the FIC website and start collating your data.
Work through all three years or periods before going online to submit.
Check your goAML credentials are active and your registration details are current.
Make sure the right person in your firm (compliance officer or senior manager) is ready to complete and submit the return.
Do not leave this to the last day. The online platform may experience delays as the deadline approaches, and submissions cannot be changed after the fact.
For compliance queries, contact the FIC at 012 641 6000 (select option 1) or submit a query at fic.gov.za/compliance-queries.