Getting government child support grants is not difficult if you qualify for them and if you carry out the process correctly and through the right avenues.
What is a child support grant?
A child support grant is an amount of money paid by the government to the primary care giver of a child if they are having difficulty providing for the child financially. At the moment, the amount per child that the government will pay out is R260 per month.
Who qualifies for child support?
You qualify for a child support grant if you meet the following requirements:
- If you are the primary person responsible for the child (can be a parent, grandparent, other family member or guardian)
- If the child is under 18 years of age
- If you are not the parent of the child, you must have written consent from the child’s parents or guardians
- If you and the child are South African citizens
- If you and the child are living in South Africa
- If you pass the ‘means test’ which shows that your income is below R2 600 per month if you are single, or if your joint income if you are married is below R5 200 per month (take note; this amount changes every year)
However, you will not get the grant if:
- You have been paid to look after the child
- You are not the child’s primary care giver
- Someone else is already getting a grant for the child
- You represent an institution which takes care of the child
How to apply for a child support grant
If you meet the necessary requirements, you can apply for a child support grant at the South African Social Security Agency office (SASSA) or at the counter point of a regional office. You will complete your application form at the SASSA office or regional office and the SASSA official helping you will give you a receipt when you have handed your form in.
You must take the following documentation with you:
- Your ID book.
- The child’s or children’s birth certificates.
- If you are employed, proof of your income for the past three months. This can be in the form of salary slips, bank statements, pension slips or any other form of proof.
- If you are unemployed, you must take your UIF card or a discharge slip from your previous employer.
- If you are not the child’s parent or guardian, you must bring a letter of consent from the child’s parent or guardian.
- If you are not the child’s parent or guardian, you must bring any information that shows proof of how you have tried to claim maintenance from them.
- Any information that proves that you are the child’s primary caregiver.
Other important information about government child support grants
It is necessary to keep in mind the following important points when you make your application for a child support grant:
- You will not need to pay anything at any point in the application process.
- You can only apply for child support grant for up to six children.
- If you cannot make the visit to fill out the application yourself, you can send a friend or family member in your place as long as they take a written letter from you and a doctor’s note or another solid reason why you cannot be there.
- You must decide how you want the money to be paid to you every month. In can be deposited directly into your bank account, but you will then have to pay all the necessary banking charges, or you can pick it up in cash from specific pay points.
- It will take up to thirty working days for your application to be processed. If you are refused, you will receive a letter explaining why and detailing how you can appeal the decision.
- If you are approved, you will start receiving payment within three months.
- Payment stops for the following reasons: if you die, if the child dies, when the child turns 18, if somebody else becomes the primary caregiver or if your income increases to a point where you no longer pass the means test. The government will review your grant occasionally.
- You can contact SASSA on 0800 601 011 for more information or to track your application.