Check SASSA Foster Child Grants Status Online 2024
Taking in a foster child is very meaningful but also very challenging. These children have gone through very difficult times, like being abandoned or abused. This is very traumatic for them.
As a foster parent, you open your heart and home to give these hurt children care and healing. But this costs a lot for food, clothes, health care, and other things the child needs. Coming up with all this money causes stress for the foster parents, too.
However, SASSA has not left these children alone – it has allocated a Foster Child Grant fund to provide financial assistance.
If you want to know how to apply, get approval for the grant, check the status, and everything related to the foster child grant, read the article till the end.
Let’s Start with the Concept of the Sassa Means Test For the Foster Care Grant
SASSA does a “means test” when you apply for foster child grants. This review is if the foster child meets the financial criteria to qualify for monthly assistance. However, they do NOT look at the foster parents’ income, only the child’s.
Why Review Child’s Finances?
The goal is to ensure that only financially deserving children in true need receive state foster funds. If a foster child has other sources of income that provide sufficient, the grant may be less justified.
What Counts As “In Need” Financially?
SASSA deems a foster child as living in poverty and hence eligible if their total income per year is less than twice the value of the foster care grant amount annually. The current R1,130 monthly rate works out to roughly under R27,000 total income a year.
Who Qualifies for the Foster Care Grant?
The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) provides grants to foster parents who care for children in need. This helps pay for the costs of raising these children. If you foster a child, here is how to know if you qualify for this grant money:
You Must be a South African Citizen or Resident
First, you must be a South African citizen, permanent resident, or refugee. Both you and the foster child must live in South Africa.
The Child Must Legally Be in Your Care
Next, the foster child needs to be legally placed under your care. For example, you may be a relative caring for an orphaned family member. Or you may have gone through a foster care agency. Either way, you must have valid documents showing the child is meant to remain with you.
Age of the Child Matters
In addition, the foster child must be under 18 years old. Once they turn 18, they leave the foster care grant system. Until then, you can receive monthly payments to aid in raising them.
How to Apply for the Foster Child Grant from SASSA
If you care for a foster child in South Africa, you may qualify for a monthly grant from SASSA to help provide for them. Follow this step-by-step guide to submit your application:
Gather Documentation
First, locate your nearest SASSA office to apply in person. When you go, take the following paperwork:
If lacking IDs or birth certificates, have affidavits, applicant fingerprints, school records, and alternate IDs ready for the application.
Complete Application Form
Next, fill out the foster child grant application before a SASSA agent. Only you or an official can write on the form. Answer all background questions accurately regarding your situation.
Get Application Receipt
Once submitted, you will receive a receipt confirming SASSA has your foster care grant request. Save this receipt as your proof of application.
Follow Up with Any Missing Documents
If any documents are short, Home Affairs can still process the application, but payment starts only after they are provided. So follow up quickly with any foster arrangement orders, IDs, or certificates still needing verification.
Be responsive to additional SASSA requests so your eligible application gets approved promptly. Expect a decision within three months if all protocols are followed. Then, you start receiving the monthly foster child funds through your chosen delivery method. Reapply every two years based on the foster care court order validity.
How Much is the Cost of Applying for the Sassa Foster Child Grant
Applying for the foster care grant through SASSA is completely free. You do not pay application fees, administrative charges, or other service costs to submit the request. Qualifying and claiming the monthly foster grant comes at no cost to you as the applicant.
How Much is Foster Care Grant Amount?
If you qualify for the foster care grant, you will receive R1,130 per month for each child. This amount is given to help cover the costs of caring for the child. It was last increased on October 1, 2023, and goes up slightly every six months.
So you can expect the monthly payment per foster child to increase by another R10 from April 1, 2024. Contact Sassa for the latest amounts, as they are adjusted over time to meet rising needs.
How You Get Paid the Foster Care Grant?
When approved for the foster child grant, SASSA (the South Africa Social Security Agency) will pay you the monthly amount. You have three options on how to receive this money:
Cash Payments
You can collect cash payments at authorized pay points. SASSA publishes payment dates for these locations every month. Try to arrive early in the day, as long lines build up. Bring your ID and foster child documents.
Bank Account Deposits
Alternatively, you can deposit the monthly foster care grant directly into your personal or Postbank accounts. To set this up, visit your nearest SASSA office and fill out the required form, providing your ID and bank account information. After submitting this paperwork, deposits may take 1-2 months. Please note – your bank may deduct small service fees from deposits.
Payment to an Organization
Lastly, SASSA can pay the grant to another organization helping administer the foster care situation. For example, a welfare society or children’s home may assist with paperwork and deliver funds to you.
You can change your payment method anytime by submitting forms at SASSA. Just know it takes a month to verify and switch to a new option. You can appoint someone with power of attorney to collect the foster care grant on your behalf if needed.
Reasons Your Grant Could Be Suspended
If you receive the Sassa foster care grant, be aware payments could stop unexpectedly in certain situations. The main reasons SASSA would suspend your monthly grant are:
Change in Circumstance
If the child leaves your care, ages out at 18, or your foster arrangement ends for any reason, you must report it. Failure to notify SASSA can result in payments halting plus backlogs owed.
Review Outcome
When your foster order expires every two years, not passing the review stalls payments pending further paperwork or legal changes.
Lack of Cooperation on Reviews
Additionally, if you miss review appointments or fail to provide requested documentation, your noncompliance puts funds on hold.
Fraud
Dishonesty on application forms, spending funds improperly, or misusing the system leads to nonpayment during the investigation.
Initial Approval Error
In rare cases, approving your grant was a clerical mistake. They suspend payments until corrected.
Thus, changes in foster care status, review problems, noncompliance, fraud, or administrative mix-ups all pause payments.
Sassa Foster Child Grant Reviews to Keep Receiving Funds
If you get the foster care grant, it will be reviewed when the court order expires. Currently, orders last two years, so a new review is needed. SASSA sent a letter three months prior stating it was time.
Besides, if your grant money goes into a bank account or to an organization helping administer it, you must fill out a “life certificate” form at a SASSA office each year. This proves you are still alive and acting as the foster parent.
So, expect to revert to legal foster arrangements every couple of years. Plus, make annual trips to SASSA to update your status in the system. This keeps the monthly foster care funds coming to assist in raising the child.
When Does the Foster Care Grant Lapse/Completely Stop?
If you receive monthly foster care grants, be aware certain situations cause payments to end entirely, not just get suspended temporarily. This is known as your grant lapsing. Here are cases where Sassa cuts off funds completely:
Death of Child or Foster Parent
If the foster child passes away or the last living foster parent dies, the need for assistance ends. Notify Sassa within three months for the grant to officially lapse.
Child Enters State Institution
The grant lapses if the child moves into a government home, hospital, or other state institution where care is provided. The institution would get funding instead.
No Claims for 3 Months
Not attempt to withdraw or use the foster grant for three consecutive months signals you no longer wish to receive it. This inactivity cancels the payments going forward.
Leaving the Country
If foster parents leave South Africa for another nation, it lapses since you are no longer raising the child locally.
So, death, institutionalization, lack of claims, or leaving South Africa cuts off all future foster care grants permanently after following some procedures. Ensure you fully understand the causes of lapsing.
Getting Status of Foster Child Grant Rejected? Process to Reconsider
After submitting your foster care grant application, you may receive word from SASSA that you do not qualify. If this happens, don’t panic. You have options to dispute the determination.
First, request that SASSA reconsider your application. Politely ask them to review your situation again in case anything was overlooked or misfiled.
If SASSA upholds its rejection after rechecking, you can escalate with an appeal to the National Department of Social Development. This Ministry oversees SASSA and makes binding foster care grant decisions.
Your appeal must be submitted within 90 days of originally applying per regulations. Explain why you believe you still meet the eligibility requirements for the monthly foster child funds. Attach supporting documents.
The Ministry then reviews and agrees with you, overturning the rejection and starting payments. Or they side with SASSA, denying your appeal. In that case, you will get a detailed, written explanation that can’t be disputed further.
How to Check Monthly Foster Care Balance
Once SASSA approves your application and begins issuing the foster grant, you may wish to periodically check how much remains. This allows properly budgeting the amount each month.
You can easily verify your up-to-date balance via:
USSD Codes
Dial *120*3210# or *120*69277# directly on your cellphone
Any ATM
Withdraw a tiny amount to receive an onscreen statement (bank fees may apply)
SASSA WhatsApp
Message 082 046 8553
SASSA Tollfree Call
Phone 0800 601 011 to speak with an agent
Routinely checking your balance helps track where your foster grant funds stand each month. Carefully manage this assistance to sufficiently provide for the child’s welfare.
How Long Until You Hear Back for Foster Child Grant?
You can expect it to take around three months after applying for the foster care grant before SASSA finishes reviewing your request. They notify you by mail if it is approved or rejected. Once accepted, you receive your grant starting from your initial application date, including any back payments owed.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Concluding Remarks
Applying for and receiving the SASSA foster child grant provides meaningful financial support to help care for a child in need. Be sure to closely read eligibility conditions and provide all documentation required. Follow up appropriately if your application gets rejected.
Once approved, use the monthly funds responsibly by budgeting carefully and staying on top of your balance. Together, foster parents, and SASSA grants give foster children stability in the best way possible during a difficult season of life. With some diligence in navigating the application process, this resource aids you in your compassionate foster parenting journey.
