Orphaned and vulnerable children staying with relatives or foster parents are entitled to get SASSA child grant support. The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has realised that the child support grant pegged at R480 per month is hardly enough following issues like inflation which constantly erodes the value of money in South Africa. To address this challenge, SASSA now offers child support top-up to cushion the people staying with disadvantaged children. Read on to learn how to apply for SASSA child support top-up
What Is Child Support Top-up Grant?
Child Support Grant Top-up is not a new grant. Beneficiaries of this grant get R480, but SASSA has offered a top-up of R240 to make the total child grant R720. Individuals already receiving the child grant can apply for the top-up. In other words, the top-up is an increment to what the recipients already get. It adds to the existing figure of the child support grant one is already getting on behalf of the child or kids they care for.
How Do I Apply for SASSA Child Support Top-Up?
SASSA offers the Child Support Grant to caregivers or people living with orphans and vulnerable children. These are the same individuals who can apply for top-up child support. If you are not living with a kid or children belonging to this category, you cannot apply for the top-up grant.
According to SASSA, people who can apply for a 50% top-up child support grant are guardians or relatives staying with orphaned children. Relatives such as uncles, brothers, sisters, or grandparents caring for orphans in child-headed households can apply for a top-up grant. If you are 16 years old but under 18 years and you have the role of looking after your siblings following the death of both parents, you qualify to apply for top-up child support.
Applying for a top-up grant is easy since you can do it through SASSA. All you need to do is to prove that the child has been receiving the support grant of R480. Provide documents to show that the child is an orphan, such as the death certificates of the parents. Indicate that you want to apply for the top-up grant, and a SASSA official will assist you.
All successful applicants will get an additional R240 to make the total child grant R720 per month. If the death certificate of one of the parents is not available, the applicant can obtain an affidavit that explains the unknown status of the orphan’s parent. Submit all the documents together with the application form to the SASSA official. After verification of the details, the applicant will get an SMS notifying them about the status of their application for the top-up.
SASSA Child Grant Top-up Application Requirements
To apply for the SASSA child grant top-up, you must meet the following requirements.
- You must be the primary caregiver staying with the kid or orphaned children. Guardians can be relatives, grandparents, brothers, or sisters who can prove that they are staying with the kids.
- Both children and guardians must be South African citizens, refugees, or permanent residents.
- Both children and their guardians must be staying in South Africa.
- All children who’re eligible for the top-up must be under 18 years.
- The applicant’s spouse must also meet these requirements.
- The state does not have facilities to look after the children.
- For non-biological children, the applicants for the top-up should not be more than six.
If you don’t meet these requirements, your application for the top-up grant is likely to be rejected.
Who Qualifies for SASSA Child Grant Top-up
Before you submit your application for SASSA Child Grant, you must be the primary caregiver staying with the child or kids without parents. A guardian can be anyone who volunteers to look after the children depending on how they are related to each other. In most cases, close relatives act as primary caregivers and next of kin.
All applicants and their children must be staying in South Africa as citizens, refugees, or permanent residents. They must provide their identity documents when applying for the additional grant. Children who are looking after themselves must be above 16 years but under 18 years to qualify for the top-up grant. However, beneficiaries should know that there is no state facility where they can be cared for.
Not more than six applicants can apply for a top-up child support grant for non-biological children. SASSA reserves the right to reject an application where fraud is suspected. To prevent fraudulent activities, the applicant’s spouse should also meet the test requirements to prove they are staying with the orphaned children.
SASSA child grant beneficiaries are now eligible to apply for top-up to make the total amount R720. To qualify for this offer, you must prove that you’re the primary caregiver who is staying with the child or need kids. Moreover, you must be staying in South Africa as a citizen, refugee, or permanent resident.
