About Extended Child Support Grant and Child Support Grant

On this post, we outline in details what is Child Support Grant and what is Extended Child Support Grant.

Sassa has recently amended the Social Assistant Act which enables orphans and vulnerable children to benefit more as they previously did. The benefits come as a top up for the Child Support Grant.

The Social Assistance Amendment Act specifically seeks amongst others to make provision for additional payments linked to social grants which includes the implementation of the extended Child Support Grant (CSG) policy for orphans in the care of relatives (CSG Top-Up).

More about Extended Child Support Grant

Extended Child Support Grant Where an orphan (child whose parents are both deceased) is cared for by a family member, that family member may qualify for an extended child support grant (CSG top up). This will entail an additional amount added to the child support grant for the care giver.

Purpose of Extended Child Support Grant

The purpose of the extended child support grant is to prevent children without parents having to go through the foster care system purely for reasons of financial support.

Application Requirements for this grant

The application requirements are the same as for a child support grant, with the following additions: • Death certificates for both parents, or death certificate for primary parent with affidavit confirming that the whereabouts of the remaining parent are unknown and that he/she plays no role in the child’s life.

Learn more about your grant in the latest ‘You and Your Grants’ booklet. You can also access it on the SASSA website using the link below
https://t.co/yPBzyLOIyX#SASSACARES #KnowYourGrant @The_DSD @nda_rsa @GovernmentZA pic.twitter.com/SKmGilEtda

— SASSA (@OfficialSASSA) July 22, 2022

About Child Support Grant

The primary care giver must be a South African citizen, permanent resident or refugee. Both the applicant and the child must reside in South Africa. The child must be younger than18 years.

Required documents

The applicant must provide a birth certificate for the child. Must provide a 13 digit bar-coded identity document or smart ID card for the applicant and his/her spouse. In the absence of these documents, an application can still be made.

Who should apply for Child Support Grant?

 Applicant must be the primary care giver of the child/children concerned. The applicant and spouse must meet the requirements of the means test. One cannot apply for more than six non-biological children. Child cannot be cared for in State institution.

Purpose of Child Support Grant

One of the intentions of the child support grant is to ensure that children attend and complete schooling. It is therefore a requirement that a school enrolment certificate be produced for children aged between 7 and 18 years. However, failure to produce this certificate or failure to attend school will not result in the refusal to pay the child support grant.

How much is Child Support Grant 2022?

Currently, the Child Support Grant is R480 per eligible child; however R240 will be added for orphans and vulnerable children who qualify.

How much is added for the Orphans and Vulnerable children?

This policy intervention empowers the Minister of Social Development, in concurrence with the Minister of Finance, to make provision for a top up of 50% more on the child support grant for orphans in the care of relatives who are eligible for the CSG. These children will receive their basic CSG which is currently R480 plus an additional amount of R240 (50% of the basic CSG), bringing the total amount to R720.

Question time

Are you happy with the R240 top-up for Extended Child Support Grant?

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