SASSA Care Dependency Grant 2026: Amount, Requirements & How to Apply

Published 01 November 2026

SASSA Care Dependency Grant 2026: Amount, Requirements and How to Apply

The care dependency grant is the monthly grant SASSA pays to the caregiver of a child who has a severe disability and is in need of full-time and special care. In short: if you are the parent, primary caregiver or a foster parent appointed by the court of such a child, and the child is younger than 18, you can apply. The grant pays R2 400 per month and covers the child from birth until they turn 18. Applying is free. This guide covers how much it pays in 2026, who qualifies, the income limits, the medical assessment, the documents you need, and how to apply.

How Much Is the Care Dependency Grant in 2026?

The care dependency grant pays R2 400 per month — the amount published on the official gov.za service page for this grant. It is paid to you as the caregiver, not to the child, to help carry the cost of full-time care. Grant amounts are increased from time to time by government announcement, so confirm the latest amount on official SASSA channels before relying on this figure.

Do not confuse this grant with the child support grant — the smaller grant for children generally. This is a separate, larger grant, only for a child whose severe disability needs full-time and special care.

Who Qualifies?

The rules look at you, the caregiver, and at the child. As the person applying, you must:

• Be a parent, primary caregiver or a foster parent appointed by the court.
• Be a South African citizen or permanent resident.
• Pass the income limits in the means test below — unless you are a foster parent, because the income limit does not apply to foster parents.
• Live in South Africa.

The child must:

• Be younger than 18 years — the grant covers disabled children from birth until they turn 18.
• Have a severe disability and need full-time and special care.
• Not be cared for permanently in a state institution.
• Live in South Africa.

One more rule decides almost every application: a state medical officer must assess the child before the grant will be approved — see the assessment section below.

Foster parents, take note: the official SASSA portal confirms that your income is not taken into consideration, and that you may receive both the foster child grant and the care dependency grant for the same child.

The Means Test Explained

The means test for this grant is a check of your income as the caregiver. The limits published on the official gov.za page are:

• Single: you must not earn more than R288 000 per year (about R24 000 per month).
• Married: your combined income with your spouse must not be above R576 000 per year (about R48 000 per month).

Three things about this test are different from some other SASSA grants, and they matter:

• It does not apply to foster parents. If you are a foster parent appointed by the court, your income is not counted for this grant.
• It is an income test on the caregiver. The official page sets no income limit for the child, and it publishes no asset limit for this grant — the test is worked out from the caregiver's income proof, such as a salary slip, pension slips and bank statements.
• Your declared income has a second job. It also forms the basis for SASSA's later decision about whether the grant must be reviewed.

These limits are updated from time to time, and older figures still circulate on unofficial websites. Work from the limits above, and if your income is near the line, apply anyway and let SASSA calculate.

Not sure whether your own income falls inside these limits? Run your numbers in our SASSA Means Test Checker - it uses the same 2026/27 thresholds explained above.

The State Medical Assessment

The medical assessment is the heart of this application. The child is assessed by a state medical officer — not by your family doctor — and the grant will not be approved before it has happened: SASSA will refer the child for a state medical officer's assessment before the application is made.

You also need a medical or assessment report that confirms the child's disability as one of your application documents — the official SASSA portal describes this report as one confirming permanent, severe disability. A diagnosis on its own is not the test — the state medical officer assesses the child's condition and care needs, and SASSA decides on the strength of that report.

Documents You Need

Take the following to the SASSA office when you apply:

• Your 13-digit bar-coded identity document (ID) and the child's birth certificate.
• A medical/assessment report that confirms the child's disability.
• Proof of your marital status.
• Your salary slip, bank statements for the previous three months, or pension slips, and any other proof of income. (This does not apply to refugee foster parents.)
• If you are not the child's parent: proof that you are the child's primary caregiver — an affidavit from a police official, a social worker's report, an affidavit from the biological parent, or a letter from the school principal of the school the child attends.
• If you are the biological parent and the sole provider and caregiver: proof that you have tried to get the other parent to pay maintenance.
• If you are unemployed: proof from the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) or a discharge certificate from your previous employer.
• If you are a refugee foster parent: your refugee status permit and refugee ID.
• If you are the child's foster parent: the court order placing the child in your care.

If you do not have an ID or birth certificate: complete an affidavit on the standard SASSA format in the presence of a Commissioner of Oaths who is not a SASSA official, and bring a sworn statement signed by a reputable person — such as 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 and refer you to the Department of Home Affairs to apply for the ID while your application is processed. Bring proof that you have applied for an ID and/or birth certificate at Home Affairs, and a temporary ID if one was issued. A baptismal certificate, the child's road to health clinic card and a school report can also help. If you do not get an ID, your grant will be suspended.

If you cannot travel to the office: if you are too old or sick to travel, a family member or friend can apply on your behalf, taking a letter from you and/or a doctor's note saying why you cannot visit.

How to Apply Step by Step

The application is made in person at a SASSA office — the form is not available online. The process works like this:

1. Go to the SASSA office nearest to where you live, with all the documents listed above.
2. SASSA refers the child for the state medical officer's assessment. This happens before the application is made — the assessment must be done before the grant can be approved.
3. Complete the application form in the presence of the SASSA officer. Only you as the applicant, or a SASSA official, can complete the form.
4. Keep the receipt you are given — it is your proof that you applied.
5. Wait for the outcome. It may take up to three months to process your application.

The service is free. Nobody may charge you a fee to apply — if someone asks for payment, walk away and go directly to a SASSA office.

How and When You Will Be Paid

SASSA pays the grant to you through one of the following methods:

• Cash at a specific pay point on a particular day.
• Electronic deposit into your bank or Postbank account. (Your bank may charge you for the service.)
• An institution acting as administrator of the grant, such as a welfare organisation.

If you are unable to collect the money yourself, you can appoint a procurator at the SASSA office, or give someone power of attorney to collect it for you. Note that if you are paid through the bank, an institution or a procurator, you must fill in a life certificate at the SASSA offices every year.

As for dates: SASSA pays grants in a set order each month — older persons grants first, then disability grants, then children's grants, the group this grant is paid with. Exact dates are announced through official channels ahead of each month — check the announcement or our SASSA payment dates guide rather than relying on last month's dates. There is no need to rush to withdraw on the first day — money in your account stays there.

Reviews, Suspension and When the Grant Lapses

SASSA can decide that your grant must be reviewed, based on the income you declared when you applied. You will be notified three months in advance of the review date, or of the date your life certificate is due.

Your grant may be suspended if:

• The child's circumstances change.
• A review outcome goes against you.
• You fail to co-operate when the child's grant is reviewed.
• You commit fraud or misrepresent the child.
• There was a mistake when the child's grant was approved.

Your grant will lapse when:

• The child passes away.
• The child is admitted to a state institution.
• You, the caregiver, do not claim the grant for three consecutive months.
• The child is absent from the country.
• The child turns 18.

That last point is built into the grant's design: it covers a child from birth until they turn 18, and then it stops. From age 18, the grant that covers a person with a disability is the adult disability grant, which has its own guide on this site — turning 18 does not move your child across automatically, so plan the timing before the birthday arrives.

Why Applications Are Declined — and How to Appeal

Most unsuccessful applications fail on the basic rules above:

• Medical assessment: the state medical officer's assessment or the medical/assessment report does not confirm a severe disability that needs full-time and special care.
• Means test: your income (or your combined income, if married) is above the limits — unless you are a foster parent, who is exempt.
• Age: the child is already 18 or older.
• State institution: the child is cared for permanently in a state institution.
• Caregiver status: you are not the child's parent, primary caregiver or court-appointed foster parent, or cannot prove that you are the primary caregiver.
• Status, residence or documents: you are not a South African citizen or permanent resident, you or the child do not live in South Africa, or documents such as the ID, birth certificate, medical report or income proof are missing.

If your application is not approved, SASSA will inform you in writing why. Read that letter carefully — it tells you which rule you failed, and sometimes the problem is a fixable document issue. Also read our guide on why SASSA grants are declined and how to fix it.

If you disagree, you can appeal to the Minister of Social Development at the national office of the Department of Social Development, explaining why you disagree. The appeal must be lodged within 90 days of being notified that your application was unsuccessful — do not let that deadline pass.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How much is the care dependency grant per month in 2026?

R2 400 per month, according to the official gov.za service page, paid to the caregiver for each qualifying child.

2. Who can apply for the care dependency grant?

The child's parent, primary caregiver, or a foster parent appointed by the court — a South African citizen or permanent resident living in South Africa who, unless a foster parent, passes the income limits. The child must be under 18, live in South Africa, have a severe disability needing full-time and special care, and not be cared for permanently in a state institution.

3. What are the income limits for the care dependency grant?

Not more than R288 000 per year if you are single, or a combined R576 000 per year if you are married. The official page sets income limits for the caregiver only — no asset limit — and they do not apply to foster parents.

4. Who assesses my child, and when?

A state medical officer. SASSA refers the child for the assessment before the application is made, and the grant cannot be approved without it. A medical or assessment report confirming the disability is also one of your application documents.

5. I am a foster parent. Does the means test apply to me?

No. The income limit does not apply to foster parents, and the official SASSA portal confirms you may receive both the foster child grant and the care dependency grant for the same child. Bring the court order placing the child in your care.

6. What happens when my child turns 18?

The care dependency grant lapses when the child turns 18. From 18, a person with a disability falls under the adult disability grant — see our disability grant guide for its rules, and plan ahead, because the one grant does not simply continue as the other.

7. How long does it take, and what if I am declined?

Processing may take up to three months. Applying is free — keep your receipt as proof. If unsuccessful, SASSA will tell you in writing why; if you disagree, appeal to the Minister of Social Development within 90 days.

Conclusion

The care dependency grant — R2 400 a month — supports the parent, primary caregiver or court-appointed foster parent of a child whose severe disability needs full-time and special care, from birth until the child turns 18. Apply in person at your nearest SASSA office with your ID, the child's birth certificate, a medical or assessment report, proof of caregiver status and income proof; let SASSA refer the child for the state assessment; keep your receipt; and check official channels for each month's payment dates. For how all the grants fit together, see our Child support grant guide

Official sources: sassa.gov.za and the SRD portal at srd.sassa.gov.za - always confirm amounts and dates there. Last verified: 5 November 2026. This is an unofficial guide and is not affiliated with SASSA.