Which Grant Do I Qualify For?
Not sure which grant fits you? One means test checks them all and recommends your options.
The Care Dependency Grant helps parents and caregivers who look after a child under 18 with a severe disability that needs full-time, permanent care. In September 2026 it pays R2,400 per month — the same amount as the adult Disability Grant. This guide explains the medical assessment, the means test, the documents you need and how to apply at a SASSA office, along with what to do if you are rejected or cannot easily travel with the child.
Caring for a child with a severe disability is demanding and expensive, and the Care Dependency Grant exists to recognise that. Because the money follows the child's care needs rather than the caregiver's income alone, the means test is far more generous than for most grants — but the medical assessment is central, and preparing for it well makes the biggest difference to the outcome.
Who qualifies
The grant is for the caregiver of a child under the age of 18 who has a severe physical or mental disability and needs permanent care or support. The caregiver must be a South African citizen, permanent resident or refugee, and must live in South Africa with the child. The caregiver can be a parent, a relative, or a foster parent caring for the child.
The key test is severity and dependency: the child's disability must be serious enough that they require full-time care beyond what a child of that age would normally need. A doctor appointed by SASSA must confirm, through a medical assessment, that the child's disability is severe enough to require this level of care. This grant is different from the adult Disability Grant, which supports the disabled person directly rather than their caregiver, and from the Foster Child Grant, which is about court-ordered placement rather than disability.
The means test
Unlike the Foster Child Grant, the Care Dependency Grant does apply an income means test to the caregiver, but the limits are generous. A single caregiver may earn up to R24,000 per month and a married couple up to R48,000 combined. The child's own means are not tested. Check where you fall with our sassa means test calculator, and read the means test explainer for detail on what counts as income.
A worked example
Consider Lerato, a single mother earning R14,000 a month, caring for her son who has cerebral palsy and needs constant support. Her income is well under the R24,000 single-caregiver limit, so she passes the means test, and the medical assessment then decides whether her son's condition qualifies. A married couple, by contrast, are assessed on their combined income against R48,000. If one partner earns R30,000 and the other R8,000, their combined R38,000 is under the limit and they still qualify. Because these thresholds are much higher than for the Old Age or Disability grants, many working families qualify for the Care Dependency Grant even on a reasonable household income.
Note that a foster parent placed by a court can still be subject to this means test for the Care Dependency Grant, because it is a different grant from the Foster Child Grant. If you receive both types of support, keep the applications separate — our guide on multiple grants explains how they interact.
The medical assessment
As with the adult Disability Grant, a SASSA-appointed doctor assesses the child and completes a medical report. The report must show that the disability is severe and that the child depends on permanent care. Bring any specialist reports, clinic cards, therapy records or hospital records you already have, as they help the assessing doctor build a full picture of the child's needs.
Prepare for the assessment the way you would for an important medical appointment. Write down the daily care the child needs — feeding, mobility, medication, supervision — and bring letters from the child's paediatrician, therapists or school if you have them. The doctor is assessing how much the disability affects the child's daily functioning, so concrete detail about the level of care required is far more useful than a diagnosis alone.
Documents you need
Take originals and copies of the following.
| Document | Why it is needed | If missing |
|---|---|---|
| Your 13-digit smart ID or green ID book | Confirms your identity | Sworn affidavit + proof you applied at Home Affairs |
| Child's birth certificate | Confirms the child and their age | Register the birth at Home Affairs first |
| SASSA medical assessment report for the child | Confirms the severe disability | Arranged through the office — do not skip the booking |
| Proof of your residence | Confirms you live in South Africa | Ward councillor's letter or affidavit |
| 3 months' bank statements / proof of income | Income means test | Sworn affidavit of income if unbanked |
| Spouse's ID and income details (if married) | Combined means assessment | Marriage or death certificate as relevant |
If the child was placed in your care by a court, bring that order too. Our documents checklist covers what to do if a document is missing.
Step-by-step: how to apply
Like the other permanent grants, the Care Dependency Grant is applied for in person — see our comparison of applying online versus in person.
- Visit your nearest SASSA local office, or call 0800 60 10 11 to find it and ask about booking the child's medical assessment. Confirm the office handles Care Dependency applications.
- Complete the application form with a SASSA officer, who records your details and the child's, including biometrics.
- Take the child to the medical assessment with the SASSA-appointed doctor on the date given, with all the child's medical records.
- Provide your income details for the means test, honestly and in full.
- Submit all documents with copies and sign the application.
- Keep the receipt with your reference number as proof of the application date — this is the date your grant is backdated to.
If you cannot travel with the child, ask the office about a home visit or appointing a procurator. Where the child's condition makes travel genuinely difficult, a home assessment may be arranged so the medical part can be done without a hard journey.
Payments and reviews
SASSA processes applications within 90 days and backdates an approved grant to the application date. You choose to be paid into a bank account, at a retailer or at a cash pay point — see changing your banking details if you need to update where the money goes, and SASSA payment dates 2026 for when it lands.
SASSA may review the grant periodically and may ask for an updated medical report, so keep the child's records safe and your contact details current. The grant ends when the child turns 18, at which point they may apply for the adult Disability Grant if they still qualify.
What if you are rejected
The most common reasons for a Care Dependency Grant to be refused are the medical assessment concluding the disability is not severe enough to require permanent care, or the caregiver's income exceeding the means-test limit. Read the rejection letter carefully to see which applies. If the reason is medical and you have stronger evidence — a fresh specialist report detailing the level of care the child needs — you can lodge a reconsideration or appeal within 90 days through the SASSA complaint and reconsideration process. If the reason is financial, re-check your figure on the means test calculator, because SASSA does not count every rand as income and you may still qualify.
Planning for when the child turns 18
Because the grant stops at 18, plan ahead. In the months before the child's eighteenth birthday, gather up-to-date medical records so that, if the young person still cannot work because of their disability, they can apply for the adult Disability Grant in their own name without a long gap in support. The Disability Grant has its own means test and its own medical assessment, so treat it as a fresh application rather than an automatic transfer.
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from the Disability Grant?
The Care Dependency Grant is paid to the caregiver of a child under 18 with a severe disability. The Disability Grant is paid to a disabled adult aged 18 to 59 for themselves. They pay the same monthly amount of R2,400 but serve different people and use different means-test limits.
Is there a means test?
Yes, but the limits are higher than for most grants — up to R24,000 a month for a single caregiver and R48,000 for a married couple. The child's own means are not tested, only the caregiver's household income.
What happens when the child turns 18?
The Care Dependency Grant stops at age 18. The young adult may then apply for the Disability Grant in their own name if their condition still prevents them from working. Prepare current medical records in advance so there is no gap.
Can I get this grant and the Child Support Grant for the same child?
No — you cannot receive two grants for the same child at the same time. The Care Dependency Grant is the higher award for a child with a severe disability, so it is the one to claim where the child qualifies. You can, however, receive different grants for different children in your care.
Do I use my own doctor for the assessment?
No. As with the adult Disability Grant, the medical assessment must be done by a doctor appointed by SASSA. Bring your own specialist and clinic records to the assessment so the SASSA doctor has the full history, but they complete the official report.
The child was placed with me by a court. Which grant applies?
If the child has a severe disability needing permanent care, the Care Dependency Grant is the relevant disability-based grant, and it is means-tested on you as caregiver. That is separate from the Foster Child Grant, which is based on the court placement and is not means-tested. Speak to the SASSA officer and your social worker about which fits your situation, and see our guide on multiple grants.
This is an independent help site. Always verify current amounts and rules at SASSA.