Fee-charging public schools, South Africa
Check what school fees you really owe
If you can't afford public school fees, the law says you may qualify for a total, partial or automatic exemption. Work it out with the official formula and table from the Schools Act regulations, then apply with confidence.
- Source: Government Gazette regulations
- Reviewed 30 October 2026
- Nothing you type leaves your device
Fees R12 000 a year · income R240 000
E = 5,0%
- One child
- 50% off · pay R6 000
- Three children
- 67% off · pay R3 960
- Total exemption up to
- R120 000
GN 1052 and GN 1149 of 2006 · example only
Calculators
Each one shows the formula, step by step, and links to the gazette.
The rules at a glance
- Total exemption
- E ≥ 10%
- No exemption
- E < 2%
- Partial exemption
- 2% to 10%
- Decision within
- 30 days
- Appeal within
- 30 days
- No-fee threshold 2026
- R1 835
fees are 10% or more of combined income
unless a conditional exemption is granted
level from the table, by number of children
reasons in writing within 7 days
to the provincial Head of Department
quintile 1 to 3 schools charge no fees
Plain-English guides
What the Act and regulations say, with links to the gazettes.
How to apply for a school fee exemption
The form, the documents, the 30-day decision, appeals to the Head of Department and your child's rights.
Read the guideAutomatic exemption
Foster and kinship care, social grants and child-headed households: total exemption without an income test.
Read the guideNo-fee schools
Quintiles 1 to 3, the R1 835 no-fee threshold for 2026, and why the exemption rules do not apply there.
Read the guideWhy KayaFees?
Official rules only
The formula, table and procedures come from the Minister's exemption regulations and the South African Schools Act. Each page links to the gazette.
Every child counts
The table gives more relief the more children you have at fee-charging public schools. We apply the right column for your family.
Private by design
The calculators run in your browser. Your income is not sent to us, to schools or to advertisers.