Questions we hear often.

We work with owner-managed businesses across South Africa — primarily in retail and franchising, manufacturing, professional services, education, healthcare, and software and IT. Our depth in these six industries is deliberate: the difference between useful financial guidance and generic advice is knowing how your business actually works.

Yes. We're based in Cape Town but work with clients nationally. Our work is structured around a consistent remote rhythm — your books closed and reviewed within the first week of each month, a quarterly review call, and continuous monitoring in between. Your location doesn't affect the quality or responsiveness of what we do.

The first step is a conversation. We'll learn about your business, what you're currently doing financially, and where the gaps are. From there, we put together a tailored proposal. There's no obligation, and the first conversation is free.

We don't publish a rate card because no two businesses are the same. Pricing depends on the complexity of your business, the volume of transactions, and the level of service you need. We put together a tailored proposal after an initial conversation — and we're transparent about what's included.

We work primarily on Xero, with Dext for document and expense automation, and Deel Local Payroll for payroll management. We've also built our own financial intelligence platform that monitors client positions continuously. If you're on a different system, we can assess whether migration makes sense.

From 1 April 2026, the compulsory registration threshold increased to R2.3 million in any consecutive 12-month period — up from R1 million. Voluntary registration is available once your taxable turnover exceeds R120,000. If you cross the threshold and don't register in time, SARS can back-assess output VAT from the date you should have registered, plus penalties and interest. Getting the timing right avoids a potentially significant retrospective liability.

Provisional tax is SARS's way of collecting income tax in advance, in two instalments — the first in August and the second in February — based on your estimated taxable income for the year. Estimating accurately using real year-to-date numbers is how you avoid overpaying or triggering penalties. We model provisional tax for every client as part of their quarterly review.

Most business owners overpay because tax planning happens at year-end rather than throughout the year. By the time your accountant sees your numbers, the decisions that could have reduced your tax are already made. Proactive tax management — reviewing your position quarterly — is how you pay less, legally.

Every South African private company must file an annual return with CIPC each year, within 30 business days of your company's registration anniversary. The fee is calculated on turnover — from R100 for smaller businesses up to R4,000 for larger ones. Failure to file two years running triggers deregistration proceedings, which can strip the company of its legal capacity to trade. We track and file CIPC annual returns for all compliance clients.

Most private companies don't require a mandatory audit in South Africa. Whether your company needs a voluntary audit, independent review, or compilation of financial statements depends on its Public Interest Score (PIS) and ownership structure. We can assess what's required for your specific entity.

A bookkeeper records transactions and keeps your books accurate. A financial manager does that — and actively manages what those numbers mean for your business. Cash flow, margins, tax position, and performance are monitored and managed month to month, not just filed. Our In Control service is built around this distinction.

A complete monthly management pack should include an income statement (profit and loss), balance sheet, and cash flow statement — for the month and year-to-date, compared against prior period and budget. At Digital Treehouse, we add a narrative summary to every pack: what the numbers show, what they mean, and what (if anything) you need to do about it.

Profit and cash are different things. Profit is an accrual concept — it recognises revenue when earned and expenses when incurred, regardless of when cash moves. Cash flow tracks actual money in and out of your account. Common culprits for the gap: slow-paying debtors, inventory tied up on shelves, loan repayments that don't show as P&L expenses, and capital expenditure that depletes cash but depreciates slowly. A 13-week cash flow forecast is the right tool to manage this gap.

The answer depends on your entity structure, your personal income tax bracket, and your retirement planning. For most owners operating through a private company, a combination of salary (for consistency and retirement fund contributions) and dividends (once the company's tax position is clear) is the most efficient approach. We model this for every client annually as part of their tax planning.

It's a proprietary monitoring platform we've built that connects to your Xero and watches your financial position continuously — cash, margins, debtors, and tax exposure. Rather than showing you what already happened, it surfaces what needs attention before you have to ask. It's included in our In Control and higher tier services.

Yes. We handle Xero migrations from most common platforms including Sage, QuickBooks, and spreadsheet-based systems. A migration done correctly — with opening balances reconciled and chart of accounts properly configured — means you start your Xero life with clean data. One done badly is worse than staying where you are.