Is There a Childcare Grant Payment Service in South Africa?

No. The Childcare Grant Payment Service is a system used in the United Kingdom to pay student childcare grants to registered childcare providers. SASSA does not run it, and South Africa has no grant by that name. If you have seen it described as a SASSA grant, that information is wrong.

South African families can, however, get several grants for children from SASSA. They are paid to the caregiver, not to a crèche or childminder.

SASSA grants for children

Grant	Who it is for	Amount from April 2026
Child support grant	The primary caregiver of a child under 18, below the income limit	R580 a month per child
Child support grant top-up	A relative caring for an orphaned child	R870 a month per child in total
Foster child grant	A foster parent of a child placed by a court	R1,290 a month (R1,300 from October 2026)
Care dependency grant	The caregiver of a child with a severe disability needing full-time care	R2,400 a month

How these grants are paid

• Into the caregiver’s own bank account.
• Onto a Postbank black card, which can be used at ATMs and at till points in participating stores.
• On the children’s grant day each month. See when the child grant is paid this month.

Help with the cost of childcare

There is no separate SASSA payment for crèche or daycare fees. Many caregivers use the child support grant towards these costs. Registered early childhood development centres may receive a government subsidy per child from the Department of Basic Education, which is paid to the centre rather than to parents. Ask your centre whether it is registered and subsidised.

Applying for a child grant

Apply at your nearest SASSA office with your ID, the child’s birth certificate and proof of income. For the step-by-step process see how to apply for the child support grant and child grant application requirements.

Frequently asked questions