Creating and Generating Your PAIA Manual

Article ID: IMCP-PAIA-003 Module: Information Regulator (PAIA) Applies to: SYS / ADM / PADM roles

What this article covers

Step-by-step instructions for completing the 12-section PAIA Manual editor, generating the Manual as a PDF, and understanding the compilation lock and revision date rules.

Table of contents

• What this article covers
• Background
• The 12 sections of the PAIA Manual
• Before you start
• Opening the Manual editor
• Navigating the editor
• Section-by-section guidance
  • Section 1 — Title & Dates
  • Section 3 — Contact Details
  • Section 5 — Records Available Without Request
  • Section 6 — Records Under Other Legislation
  • Section 7 — Subjects & Records
  • Section 8 — Request Procedure
  • Section 9 — Fees
  • Section 11 — Personal Information (POPIA)
• Saving a draft
• Generating the PAIA Manual
• Revising the Manual
• Making the Manual available to the public
• Related articles

Background

Every private company is required to compile a PAIA Manual. This formal document explains how the public can exercise their right to request access to information held by the company. The Manual must be:

• Available on request (and ideally published on the company’s website)
• Kept up to date when company details or procedures change
• Compliant with the requirements of PAIA and the Regulations

The IMCP platform provides a guided 12-section editor that produces a compliant, ready-to-use PDF.

The 12 sections of the PAIA Manual

Before you start

• Make sure Company Information (Tab 2) is fully completed. Company name, registration number, and contact details auto-populate into the Manual.
• Make sure the Information Officer (Tab 3) appointment is on record. The IO’s contact details populate into Section 3 of the Manual automatically.

Opening the Manual editor

1. Open the Information Regulator module for the relevant company.
2. Click the PAIA Manual tab.
3. If a Manual has been generated before, a summary of the last version is shown. Click Edit Manual to open the editor.
4. If this is the first time, click Create PAIA Manual.

Navigating the editor

The editor has a sidebar on the left listing all 12 sections. Click any section to jump to it. The main panel on the right shows the editable fields for the selected section.

To see a formatted preview of the document as it will appear in the PDF, click Preview Mode in the top-right toolbar. Click Edit Mode to return.

Section-by-section guidance

Section 1 — Title & Dates

• Date of Compilation is locked after the first time the Manual is generated. This preserves the historical record of when the Manual was first compiled. It cannot be edited.
• Date of Revision updates automatically each time you regenerate the Manual. You can also set this manually.

Section 3 — Contact Details

This section is auto-populated from the Information Officer’s appointment record. If the details are incorrect, update them in the Information Officer tab first, then return here.

Section 5 — Records Available Without Request

Use the toggle switches to include or exclude standard record categories. You can also add custom record types specific to this company.

Section 6 — Records Under Other Legislation

A default list of legislation is pre-loaded (Companies Act, Income Tax Act, etc.). Add or remove items as applicable to the company’s situation.

Section 7 — Subjects & Records

Describe the broad categories of subjects on which the company holds records. The default text can be tailored to reflect the company’s industry and operations.

Section 8 — Request Procedure

This section contains the prescribed process for submitting an access request, including the PAIA prescribed form (Form C), the 30-day processing window, and the right to extend by a further 30 days. Edit only if your internal process differs from the default.

Section 9 — Fees

The prescribed fee schedule is pre-populated. Amend only if a different fee structure applies.

Section 11 — Personal Information (POPIA)

This is the most company-specific section. Complete the table with:

• Purpose of processing (e.g. HR, payroll, client contracts)
• Data Categories processed (e.g. names, ID numbers, financial information)
• Recipients of the data (internal teams, third-party processors)
• Cross-border transfers (Yes/No, and the country if applicable)

Add one row per processing purpose. Click Add Row to insert additional entries.

Saving a draft

Click Save Draft at any time to preserve your work without generating the document. You can return to a draft later.

Generating the PAIA Manual

1. Once all 12 sections are complete, click Generate Manual.
2. The platform compiles the Manual as a PDF.
3. The document is saved to the Workspace tab with a version number (v1, v2, etc.).
4. A success notification confirms the generation.
5. The PAIA Manual category on the Dashboard updates to Complete.

Tip: If any required fields are incomplete, the platform will alert you. Correct the highlighted fields before generating.

Revising the Manual

When company details change (new IO, new address, updated POPIA processing table), repeat the editing process and click Generate Manual again. A new version is saved to the Workspace, and the Date of Revision updates automatically.

The original compilation date remains locked on all versions.

Making the Manual available to the public

The Information Regulator recommends that the PAIA Manual be:

• Published on the company’s website (link the PDF directly)
• Available in hard copy at the company’s registered office on request

Once generated, download the PDF from the Workspace tab and make it available accordingly.

Related articles

• IMCP-PAIA-001: Overview of the Information Regulator Module
• IMCP-PAIA-002: Appointing an Information Officer
• IMCP-PAIA-004: Submitting the Annual Report