First, what net value actually means
If you have never worked with the B-BBEE Codes, start here. Think of a house with a bond: a R2 million house with R1,8 million still owing means you really own R200 000. Net value asks the same question of a BEE deal — after subtracting the loan your black shareholders took on to buy their shares, how much of the company is genuinely theirs?
Two more things, and you know everything this calculator needs. First, the Codes expect that genuine ownership to grow over time: the bar starts low in year one and reaches its full height by year nine — so a deal that looks fine today can quietly fail years later. Second, this one line carries a floor of 3.2 points (out of its 8): fall under it in a measured year and your whole B-BBEE level drops by one, no matter how well you score on everything else. The full plain-language walk-through is in net value explained.
Run the calculator
Start with the defaults — a R100 million business, a 51% stake, fully funded at 10% a year against 6% growth — and change any figure to match your deal. The table updates as you type, and the banner tells you the first year the deal slips below the 3.2-point floor (if it does).
Model the net-value line
On these figures the black shareholders buy R51 000 000 of shares, of which R51 000 000 is funded (a loan or notional balance).
This deal stays above the 3.2-point floor in all ten years on these assumptions. That usually means the business is out-growing the debt — keep the funding rate at or below the growth rate and the line holds.
Break-even funding rate: about 10,9% a year. That is the highest rate this deal can carry and still clear the 3.2-point floor in all ten years, on these assumptions — agree a rate above it and the failure is already built in.
| Year | They own (net) | They need | Net value points | Above 3.2 floor? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1.7% | 2.5% | 5.59 | yes |
| 2 | 3.6% | 5.0% | 5.70 | yes |
| 3 | 5.4% | 10.0% | 4.35 | yes |
| 4 | 7.4% | 10.0% | 5.92 | yes |
| 5 | 9.4% | 15.0% | 5.03 | yes |
| 6 | 11.5% | 15.0% | 6.15 | yes |
| 7 | 13.7% | 20.0% | 5.48 | yes |
| 8 | 16.0% | 20.0% | 6.39 | yes |
| 9 | 18.3% | 25.0% | 5.86 | yes |
| 10 | 20.8% | 25.0% | 6.64 | yes |
This is a simplified illustration of the mechanics, not the full Annexe 100(E) calculation a verification agency runs, and not advice. It takes the lower of two figures — the black shareholders’ shares net of the funding balance, and their underlying economic interest — against a target that rises to 100% by year nine (the 25% benchmark is the figure agencies apply in practice; the Codes print “Refer to Annexe C” there). Real valuations, dividend policy, the transaction date and the exact instrument all move the answer. Model your own facts with an adviser before you commit.
How the model works
Each year the tool grows the business (and so the value of the black shareholders’ shares) at your growth rate, grows the funding balance at your funding rate, and applies the share of dividends you set towards repaying it. It then takes the lower of two figures — the shares net of the funding balance, and the underlying economic interest — and measures that against the year’s target. That mirrors the two-formula approach in the Codes, explained in net value explained.
The target for each year is the 25% benchmark multiplied by the time-graduation factor (10%, 20%, 40%, 40%, 60%, 60%, 80%, 80%, 100%, 100%). The 25% figure is the one verification agencies apply in practice — the Codes themselves print “Refer to Annexe C” in that cell, so treat it as a disclosed assumption rather than a number written into the law.
How to read the result
Watch two things. First, the gap between the funding rate and the growth rate: when the loan grows faster than the business, the amount genuinely owned barely moves while the target keeps rising — and the line eventually fails. Bring the funding rate below the growth rate and the same deal usually turns around. Second, the first failing year: many deals pass comfortably for years and then fail around year nine, when the bar reaches 100% — long after everyone has stopped watching.
This tool models the funding dynamics of one deal over time. To score your whole structure — every shareholder, scheme and trust, across all 25 ownership points — use the ownership scorecard calculator.
Frequently asked questions
Because the net-value target rises over time while a debt-funded stake barely grows. In year one only 10% of the target must be met; by year nine it is 100%. If the loan grows faster than the business — a funding rate above the growth rate — the amount genuinely owned hardly moves while the bar keeps rising. See net value explained.
Ownership is a priority element, so there is a sub-minimum: at least 40% of the 8 net-value points — 3.2 points. Miss it and your whole level drops by one, however well you scored elsewhere.
No — it is a simplified illustration to help you see the shape of the problem, not the full Annexe 100(E) formula an accredited agency applies, and not advice. Pressure-test a deal here, then have the real numbers modelled before you commit. Talk to us.