R580 is the monthly child support grant per child in the 2026/27 financial year. A caregiver with three qualifying children therefore receives R1,740, not R580. Some families get more per child through the top-up for orphans. Here is how the figure works, who gets R870 instead, and when the money is paid.
Where R580 comes from
The child support grant (CSG) went up by R20, from R560 to R580, on 1 April 2026. The figure stays at R580 until at least March 2027; there is no October increase for this grant. Any new amount would be announced in the February 2027 Budget. Our overview of the 2026 grant increases compares it with the other grants.
One possible mix-up: the grant-in-aid is also R580, but it is a different grant. It is paid to an adult who already gets an older persons, disability or war veterans grant and needs full-time care from someone else. It is not money for a child.
The top-up: R870 for orphans in a relative’s care
A relative caring for an orphaned child can get an extra R290 a month on top of the R580, so R870 per child in total. It covers:
- a grandparent, sibling, aunt, uncle or cousin looking after a child whose parents have died, and
- a child aged 16 to 18 who heads a household.
SASSA asks for both parents’ death certificates, or one death certificate plus an affidavit. If a court has formally placed the child with you as a foster parent, the foster child grant applies instead; the foster child grant page covers that route.
The R580 lands on the third pay day
Children’s grants come last in SASSA’s three-day cycle, one working day after disability grants and usually on the 4th to 7th of the month. Foster and care dependency grants share this day with the CSG and its top-up. Coming dates:
- Tuesday 6 October 2026
- Thursday 5 November 2026
- Friday 4 December 2026
- Thursday 7 January 2027, later than usual because of New Year and the weekend
The 2026/27 payment schedule lists the rest of the year. The money stays in your account once paid, so you can withdraw it later in the week if the shops are busy.
Income limit for the R580
The CSG means test is ten times the grant amount. With the grant at R580, a single caregiver can earn up to R5,800 a month (R69,600 a year), and a married couple up to R11,600 a month combined. Only income counts; there is no asset test. If you have applied and are waiting for the first payment, follow the steps in the child support grant status check.