The Child Support Grant is intended to provide for the basic needs of South African children whose parents or primary caregivers are not able to provide sufficient support due to unemployment or poverty. They may apply for the CSG if they qualify as per the means test.

The amount of the grant from 1st April is R580 per child who qualifies per month for every child who qualifies. SASSA introduced the top-up CSG to assist relatives or primary caregivers to provide for an orphan’s basic needs. The top-up amount is R280 per child per month (the amount is set in April and goes up in October).

It does not matter whether you are the parent of the child or not, or whether the parents of the child are living together, whether they are married or not married, whether either of the parents is in prison or not, or whether the husband or wife receives another state grant.

WHO CAN APPLY FOR A CSG?

A primary caregiver can apply for the Child Support Grant on behalf of a child or children in their care. A primary caregiver 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 caregiver must be older than 16 years old and does not need to be the 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 those who are not legally adopted, the grant will be paid for a maximum of six children.

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

The primary caregiver is responsible for ensuring that the child is fed, clothed, immunised, 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 caregiver and their spouse. If the primary caregiver 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 caregiver 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 caregiver 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

WHAT IS THE MEANS TEST TO QUALIFY FOR A CHILD SUPPORT GRANT?

To qualify for a Child Support Grant the primary caregiver must pass a means test to see if the child is eligible for the grant. The asset threshold test is the same for all other grants but the income threshold differs. (See The means test for adult social assistance grants)

INCOME THRESHOLD

A single person should not earn more than R69 600 per year or R5 800 per month A married couple’s joint income should not be more than R139 200 per year or R11 600 per month.

HOW CAN A PRIMARY CARE-GIVER APPLY FOR A CHILD SUPPORT GRANT?

The process for applying for the Child Support Grant is the same as for all other grants. (See Applying for a social grant)

The following documents are required for the application:

• Primary care-giver’s South African identity document
• Child’s identity document or birth certificate
• Proof that the child has been immunised
• Proof of any maintenance received from a parent of the child, or proof of efforts made to obtain maintenance from a parent
• Proof of your and your spouse’s earnings; if you are working, the employer must fill in a special form for an employer’s report
• If married, a marriage certificate
• If divorced, the court order giving details of custody of the child
• If the primary caregiver is not the parent of the child, a letter or affidavit from the parent of the child giving the person permission to take care of the child
• A death certificate if one or both parents are dead, or if the father or mother is missing, proof of this, like a missing person’s report from the police and sworn statements from you and another family member
• A school report is not a requirement for application for a CSG or for ongoing receipt of a grant

All copies of documents must be certified. This means they must be signed and stamped by a police officer or any other commissioner of oaths.

The applicant will be given a copy of the application or a dated receipt signed by the SASSA officer. This provides proof of the application.

If the application is not approved, a letter will be sent to give reasons for the rejection. There is a right of appeal against this decision. (See Appeals process)

PAYMENT OF A CHILD SUPPORT GRANT

There is supposed to be a waiting period of only up to 3 months before the primary caregiver receives payment. The first payment of the grant should include all the money from the date of application. Payment can be made in the way that suits you:

• Cash payment on specific days at a paypoint
• Electronic payment into a bank account.