Application process

You can apply for the child support grant at your nearest SASSA office by completing an application form. There are no costs involved when applying for the grant. 

When your application is completed, you'll be given a receipt. The receipt must be kept as proof of your application.

You'll 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're unemployed, your Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) card - "blue book" - or a discharge certificate from your previous employer.
• If you're 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're 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're the child's primary caregiver.

You'll be able to say how you'd like the money to be paid when applying for the grant. The money can either be paid out in cash on a specific day at a Pay Point, or it 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.

If you're unable to complete the application yourself, a friend or family member can take a letter to the SASSA office with a doctor's note stating why you can't visit the office yourself. A home visit may then be arranged for you.

How long does the application process take?

The application process can take up to 30 working days to be processed and checked. If your application is refused, you'll get a letter explaining why it's been refused and how you can appeal.

If it's approved, you'll start getting payments within 3 months. The payments will be backdated to the day you applied for the grant. You can track 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.