Child Support Grant
What is the application process for a child support grant?
You can apply for the child support grant by filling in an application form at your nearest SASSA Office or counter service point of a Regional Office. Application is free.
Your application form will be completed in the presence of an officer of
SASSA. When your application is completed you will be given a receipt. The receipt must be kept as proof of your application.
You will also need to show certain documents and provide some information, including:
- your South African identity document (ID), which must be bar-coded,
- the child's birth certificate, which must have an ID number,
- your salary slip, bank statements for three months, or pension slips, and any other proof of income,
- if you are unemployed, your Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) card – "blue book" – or a discharge certificate from your previous employer,
- if you are not the child's parent or guardian, a written note of permission from the parent or guardian that you should take care of the child,
- if you are not the child's parent or guardian, information about how you have tried to get the parents to pay maintenance,
- information that shows that you are the child's primary caregiver.
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If you cannot make the application yourself, a friend or family member can bring a letter from you, and a doctor's note saying why you can't visit the office yourself. A home visit may then be arranged.
When you make the application, you should say how you would like the money to be paid. The money can be paid out in cash on specific days at a pay point, or the money can be paid electronically into your bank account.
Remember that normal bank charges apply to any money going in and out of your bank account. You can decide to change the payment method at any time by filling in a form, but the change will only happen a month later.
It will take about 30 working days for your application to be processed and checked, and either approved or refused. If your application is refused, you will get a letter explaining why it has been refused and how you can appeal.
If it is approved, you will start getting payments within 3 months. The payments will be backdated to the day you applied for the grant. You can find out what has happened to your application, and when you can expect payment by calling the free
SASSA telephone number 0800 601 011.
Payments will stop if you die, if the child dies, when the child becomes too old, if someone else starts looking after the child, or if your circumstances change in any other way, so that you don't qualify for the grant anymore.
Your grant will be reviewed from time to time to check this. You must also inform the department of any changes in your or your child's circumstances.
Child Maintenance
Child MaintenanceChild Maintenance and the Law
Who has a duty to pay maintenance?
- All parents, whether married or not, living together, separated, or divorced and parents of adopted children, are required to support the financial needs of their children.
- The biological grandparents may need to pay maintenance if the child’s parents can’t pay.
- Any person who’s responsible to raise the child, for example, a legal guardian, adoptive parents and grandparents of the child.
FAQ(Frequently Asked Questions) regarding Child Maintenance. This document has been compiled by the Department of Justice.
Old Age Pension
You qualify for an older person’s grant if you:
- Are a South African citizen, permanent resident or refugee
- Are a permanent resident of South Africa
- Are 60 years or older
- And your spouse (if you have one) pass the means test
- Are not living in a state institution
- Are not receiving payments from another social grant
What you need to know about the grant application process
You can apply for the old age grant by filling in an application form at your nearest SASSA office and bringing the following information with you:
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Your official identity document (ID).
- If you don't have an ID:
- You must complete an affidavit on a standard SASSA form in the presence of a Commissioner of Oaths who is not a SASSA official.
- You must bring a sworn statement signed by a reputable person (like a councillor, traditional leader, social worker, minister of religion or school principal), who can verify your name and age.
- The SASSA official will take your fingerprints. You will be referred to the Department of Home Affairs to apply for the ID even as your application is processed. If you don’t get an ID, your grant will be suspended.
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Proof of your marital status (if applicable).
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Proof of your address.
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Proof of your income.
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Proof of your assets, including the value of the property you own.
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Proof of your private pension (if any).
- Your three-month bank statement.
- If you were employed, an Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) ('blue book') or discharge certificate from your previous employer.
- If your spouse died within the last five years, a copy of your spouse’s death certificate, their will and the first and final liquidation and distribution accounts where applicable.