SASSA Foster Child Support Grant – Eligibility, Application Process & More!

SASSA Foster Child Grant is a type of grant that is specifically designed to provide financial support to the Foster Child’s Parents. A foster child is a kid that is legally given to a parent from the court for the upbringing of that child, this may be due to the following circumstances; being orphaned, desolated, tortured, neglected, or at risk.

sassa foster child support grant 2024 status check

Foster parents are in charge of meeting their foster child’s basic needs, which include clothing, food, housing, health care, and education. The grant payment will be distributed to the child till the age of 18 after that SASSA will stop granting further payments, However in the case where the child turns 18 while enrolled in secondary or high school, the grant amount will continue to be paid until they are 21. When the child drops out of school or begins to make more money than according to the means test demands, the grant payments will end.

SASSA Foster Child Grant Eligibility Criteria

Before applying for a Sassa grant, all applicants must confirm that they fit the eligibility requirements, which are listed below.

  • The primary caregiver must be a South African citizen, permanent resident, or refugee.
  • Both the applicant and the child must reside in South Africa.
  • The applicant must be the Foster Parent of the child concerned, and the child must be taken care of by them.
  • The following conditions must be met for the foster child to be placed in your custody by a court order: 
  •  being orphaned, 
  • desolated, 
  • tortured, 
  • neglected, 
  • or at risk.
  • The age of the Foster Child must be under 18 years old.
  • The child should be meeting the Means test criteria for approving eligibility.

Moreover, if your Foster Child is disabled, then they can also apply for the SASSA Care Dependency Grant, and according to the South African Child Care Act, the parents who are unable to support their child financially then they can also register their child for the SASSA Child Support Grant.    

What is the Means Test for the SASSA Foster Child Grant?

One of the most important tools available to a Sassa application for a Foster Child Grant is the Means test, which measures the Income of the Foster Child so that Only eligible children can get full support from the South African Social Security Agency, clearly declaring that Foster parents income will not be count for the SASSA Means test. The grant is only available to foster parents whose foster children meet certain financial criteria and are living in poverty.

According to the foster Child’s means test criterion, they are eligible for funding if their annual income is less than twice the amount of the foster child grant.

Likewise, each Sassa Grant has its specific Means test requirement that evaluates an applicant’s financial eligibility.

Important Notice: Make an appointment with a social worker from the Department of Social Development before applying for a foster child grant. The social worker will issue a court order verifying that you are the child’s legal foster parent. 

How much does the Foster Child Grant Cost?

If you are concerned about the money invested in the SASSA Foster Child Grant then remember that there is no cost associated with applying for SASSA child support grants, and there is no service charge.

What is the amount for the Foster Child Grant in 2024?

As of October 1, 2023, the most recent increase in SASSA grants is R1 130 per month (per child) for foster children. Every six months, on April 1st and October 1st, the grant amount is modified to make sure it continues to be adequate to support foster children.

The South African government has announced the increase in all SASSA grants by April 2024 therefore, the Foster Care Grant will now be worth R1,100 per month after the R50 increase. Foster caregivers will immediately profit from this change, which will help with the upbringing and care of foster children.

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana announced during his address on the 2024 Budget in Cape Town that the government has increased its social grants payment once more as of April 2024.

How to Apply for the Foster Child Grant?

Before starting with the Procedure of Foster Child Grant application, you have to issue an order from the court which can be done when you make an appointment with a social worker from the Department of Social Development before applying for a foster child grant. The social worker will issue a court order verifying that you are the child’s legal foster parent. 

You can easily apply for the SASSA Foster Child grant by visiting your nearest SASSA Center or if you want to apply for it Online then you can visit the SASSA Service portal from your browser and follow the steps provided there to apply through the Internet.

Note: For those who cannot visit the SASSA Office by themselves

If you are too elderly, too unwell, or have any kind of impairment, you can have a friend or trusted family member apply on your behalf. A letter from you and a note from your doctor justifying your inability to visit the SASSA office personally should be provided to the person applying on your behalf.

Procedure to fill out the application form at the SASSA Office

  • The application forms must be filled out in front of the SASSA official and are available at SASSA offices.
  • You may complete the application on your own. (The officer will assist you in filling out the application form if you are having trouble doing so on your own.)
  • They will also record your interview (or that of the person you have designated). 
  • Once the interview is over, you will be notified if you are eligible for the grant.

You will also receive a dated stamp receipt with the name of the Sassa officer who helped you with the application after finishing the application and interview. Keep this receipt as proof of application even if you are not qualified as this also contains the SASSA reference number in it.  

However, if you have lost your SASSA reference number then you can easily recover it by following the steps given in the above link.

Required Documents to Apply for Foster Child Grant

Here is the list of the most important documents that must be with you when visiting the Sassa office to apply for a Foster Child Grant:

  • Identity Verification Documents 
  • Your original ID (Identity Document), barcoded with 13 digits.
  • If you are a refugee, your refugee ID and status permission.
  • The child’s birth certificate is bearing a current ID number.
  • If neither your child’s birth certificate nor an ID is with you:
  • It is necessary that you complete the affidavit form found on the SASSA standard affidavit template, and that you do it in front of an independent Oaths Commissioner.
  • A verified declaration attested by a reliable individual (such as a school principal, licensed social worker, community counselor, traditional leader, or acknowledged religious leader) is required to be brought.
  • It should be confirmed in writing by the Department of Home Affairs that you have applied for a birth certificate or identification.
  • a Department of Home Affairs-provided temporary identity document card. (If relevant).
  • certificate of baptism, if you possess one.
  • a diploma from a school, if one is obtainable.
  • Notice from the court that legally declare you as a child’s Foster Parent.
  • Your Marital status:(Documents if required)
  • Marriage Certificate: if you are married.
  • Divorce Decree: if the marriage has been dissolved.
  • Death Certificate: In case your spouse has passed away.
  • Affidavit or Sworn Statement: If any of the above is not applicable.
  • Provide any records, such as a maintenance payment order, that disclose the child’s income. (If accessible)

Processing Time for the Application of Foster Child Grant

It takes 90 days which is three months to process the SASSA Foster Child grant then after reviewing your application they send you the message of approval so that from the month when your SASSA Foster Child application is approved you will receive your grant payment by your SASSA New Card from the date you submit your application.

If your application is denied, SASSA will send you a letter explaining why the grant isn’t approved. After that, you can apply for the Sassa reconsideration form to review your application so that this time they can go through your eligibility criteria and approve your registration for the SASSA beneficiary.

SASSA Foster Child Grant Status Check

To stay informed about your SASSA Grant Payment, you must check the status of your child support grant application frequently after submitting your Sassa application. 

The greatest advantage is that it’s simple to track down by using a status check to find out whether your application was accepted or rejected and what its current status is. Once your Child grant is approved by Sassa then you can also view the current status of your Foster Child grant payment through the SASSA Status check. SASSA Foster child grant status check can be done through the following methods:

Through the Moya APP Using the Data Free Method

Through the SASSA Official Website by Clicking Here

Through SMS To SASSA Number 082-046-8553

Through SASSA WhatsApp 082-046-8553

Contacting on SASSA Toll-Free No. 0800-601011

Sassa Foster Child Status check Online | Complete procedure

Follow these steps to know your SASSA Foster Child Status Check Online:

SASSA Status Check
  • Visit the Site: sassastatuscheckes.co.za, for your Sassa Foster Child status check online.
  • If you are the Foster Parents of the Child, then you need to enter the following information:
  • South African ID Number OR bar-coded Identity Number
  • Cell phone number of the individual Foster Parents who are applying for the Sassa Foster Child Grant.
  •  After Entering the required, you can Now Enter the information into their system by clicking the Submit button.
  • Once Your status form of Foster Child is added to their web portal, they analyze the data on your Eligibility Criteria.
  • Later, the result will be shown on your screen, confirming your Sassa Foster Child Status approval.    

What should you do if your SASSA Foster Child Grant application is denied?

If your SASSA Foster Child Grant application is declined then you have the opportunity to apply for an SASSA reconsideration application, but if in case your SASSA reconsideration request is also denied then you have the choice to appeal the decision of SASSA to the Ministry of Social Development at the National Department of Social Development.

Important note: Within 90 days of the application’s submission, the appeal must be submitted.

To reach a decision, the Ministry of Social Development will examine your appeal. If they find it in your favor, they will reverse the SASSA’s decision and you will begin to get your grant money. You will receive a written explanation of the decision if your appeal is rejected.

Understanding the SASSA Foster Child Grant Payment Process

Once your SASSA Foster child grant application is approved you will start receiving your SASSA payment from the date you applied, the date of your Payments is not fixed, however every month SASSA announces the new SASSA Payments dates.

Don’t be concerned if you’re wondering how Sassa will deliver your grant payments; I’ve covered the three crucial ways that SASSA Beneficiaries get their grant payments each month. (You can opt for any One)

Get Your Money through the Bank:

Straight deposit into your Postbank or bank account. You might be required to pay a service fee to the banks. 

Through SASSA-Partner retail outlets:

Cash withdrawals of your grant payment are available at retail locations linked with SASSA, including Pick n Pay, Shoprite, Boxer, Checkers, Usave, and Spar. 

Through other Institutions:

From some specific institutions (e.g., old age homes, disability centers, Non-profit organizations).

Now those people who want to receive their SASSA Payment through a Bank account, first they need to you will need to complete the Consent Form for Bank Payment of SASSA Grant and submit each of the following documents:

  • Identification documentation, such as a driver’s license, birth certificate, or identification document
  • Number of bank accounts; the account must be in your name
  • Your name and account number should be displayed on the three-month bank statement.

If in case you can not go by yourself to collect your SASSA Payment then you have an option to send someone else on your behalf to receive your SASSA Foster child grant Payment.

By completing a form at the welfare office, you can change your banking details or mode of payment at any time. However from the following month, once the verification is finished, the payments will be accepted using the new payment process.

SASSA Foster Child Grant Balance Check

If you want to do your SASSA Balance check for your remaining Sassa grant payment then you will learn here a fast and easy way. Through the SASSA Balance check you can learn the amount of cash you have in your Sassa account and you can also be updated about your funds. Following the approval of your Foster child’s grant application and the release of grant payments, you might have to check your balance regularly by using the following methods: 

  • By dialing the USSD code *120*3210# or *120*69277# through your cellphone
  • At any ATM (normal bank charges may be applied)
  • Via SASSA WhatsApp number 082 046 8553
  • ­By calling the SASSA call center toll-free number 0800 601 011

SASSA Foster Child Grant Reviews

SASSA Foster Child grant is reviewed every two years as it is the expiry limit of the court orders. When the court order is expired after every two years then SASSA officials conduct a review. This review is conducted to confirm if the Foster Child is still meeting the Means Test Criteria or during the whole time if there is any change in the Child’s circumstances. This review also ensures that the child is still alive.

  • You should constantly keep your application updated whenever your child’s circumstances change, as this will facilitate the review process.

Before the three-month review period or the deadline to submit your life certificate (documentation that you are still alive), SASSA will provide you written notice. The review’s date and place will also be specified in the written notification.

People who receive SASSA payments through banks or institutions, If you get your grant through a bank, organization, or agency, you must bring your child’s life certificate to the SASSA office every year. SASSA representatives will come to your home to review if you are bedridden. After your evaluation is complete, you will receive a compliance receipt.

Following the expiration of the applicant’s refugee status, the review procedure for applicants will begin.

Grant Suspension Reasons

Your Sassa grant may be suspended due to the following reasons:

  • If your situation changes.
  • You committed fraud or gave incorrect information.
  • You were uncooperative when the grant was being reviewed.
  • The review’s outcome.
  • if the grant was inadvertently approved. 

Restoration of the Grant

In case of your SASSA grant Suspension is unjustified and you believe that it is suspended in error then you have the choice to appeal to the Ministry of Social Development at the National Department of Social Development within 90 days of the suspension.

Reasons for Lapsing of the Child Support Grant

The SASSA Grant will cease its Payment for the Foster Child’s Monthly Support if;

  • The child grows up to be eighteen. If the child turns 18 while enrolled in secondary or high school, the grant amount will continue to be awarded until they are 21. When the child graduates from school or begins to make more money than they do, the grant payments will end. 
  • If the Child’s Foster Parent Died,
  • Or the child would admitted to any state institution(The grant will end on the first day of the child’s seventh month following admission.)
  • If the Foster child dies
  • The child would leave the country (for more than 90 days without any notice)
  • For three consecutive months, the caregiver failed to file a claim.
  • The child you fostered has come to an end.
  • If appropriate, your refugee status has expired.

Responsibilities of the Beneficiaries

As the recipient of a SASSA Foster Child Grant, you also have specific responsibilities to fulfill:

Honesty and Integrity in Application: Recipients of social grants are required to submit honest and truthful applications regarding their circumstances. Applications that are fraudulent or misleading may incur fines or forfeit benefits.

Reporting Changes in Circumstances: Recipients must notify SASSA of any changes to their circumstances as soon as possible, as this could impact their eligibility for the social grant. 

Compliance with SASSA Regulations: For social grants to be administered and distributed, recipients must abide by all guidelines established by SASSA. This could involve other procedural rules, documentation requirements, and application renewal deadlines.

South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) Help Center:

If in case of any query or problem arise then you do not have to worry about it as SASSA provides one of the best social service platforms for their people so that they can get authentic guidance from the Sassa Management Staff. You can get information related to the dates of payment, all government grants must meet certain criteria, addresses and phone numbers for district offices, help with your application, and any incidents of fraud or corruption must be reported.

If you have additional questions, feel free to reach out to SASSA through the following channels:

  • Connect with the SASSA Toll-Free Call Centre at 0800 60 10 11
  • Contact the SASSA Head Office: 012 400 2322
  • Email your queries to the SASSA Head Office: [email protected]
  • Explore a list of SASSA offices across the country: Sassa office near you