A primary care-giver can apply for the Child Support Grant on behalf of a child or children in his or her care. A primary care-giver can be a parent, grandparent, or anyone who is mainly responsible for looking after and providing for the basic needs of the child. A primary care-giver must be older than 16 years old and does not need to be family of the child.

The grant will be paid for all qualifying biological or legally adopted children. In the case of non-biological children and who are not legally adopted, the grant will be paid for a maximum of six children.

The grant is paid to the primary care-giver. In all cases the grant follows the child. This means that if someone else becomes the primary care-giver, then the grant goes to that person.

The primary care-giver is responsible for ensuring that the child is fed, clothed, immunized, given access to health-care and for using the money to benefit the child. SASSA must be allowed to have access to the child at all reasonable times.

The child’s ability to get the grant will depend on the financial situation of the primary care-giver and their spouse. If the primary care-giver is a single parent, they should first try to get money from the child’s other parent through applying for a maintenance order.

The person who applies must:

• Be the primary care-giver of the child

• Be over the age of 16 years
• Be living with the child in South Africa at the time of the application for the grant
• Be a South African citizen or a permanent resident
• Pass the means test.

A primary care-giver cannot apply for a grant if:

• They are being paid to look after a child
• Someone else is already getting a grant for the child
• They represent an institution which takes care of the child
• They do not qualify in terms of the means test