School fee exemption calculator
2 points we are still verifying
- Rounding: the regulations do not say how to round E. Annexure C illustration 2.1 rounds 8,4% up to 8,5%, so we round up to the next 0,5% step (but never round a value below 2% up to 2%, as in illustration 3.2). Confirm with the provincial department if your result sits close to a step.
- More than 10 learners: the table stops at 10. We use the 10-learner column and flag it.
Your details
Partial exemption: fees you would pay for this child
R6 000.00
E = 5,00%, read as 5,0% in the table
- Exemption level
- 50%
- Amount exempted
- R6 000.00
How we worked it out
- School fees for one child (F)R12 000.00
- Additional contributions (A)R0.00
- Combined annual gross income (C)R240 000.00
- E = 100 × (F + A) ÷ C5%
100 × (R12 000 + R0) ÷ R240 000 = 5,00%
- E rounded up to the table step5%
As in Annexure C, illustration 2.1 (8,4% is read as 8,5%).
- Table level for 1 learner (GN 1149 of 2006)50%
- Exempted amountR6 000.00
- School fees you pay for this childR6 000.00
- If you cannot pay even this because of circumstances beyond your control, you can ask the governing body for a conditional exemption.
- Only the school governing body decides. It must answer within 30 days and give reasons in writing within 7 days of deciding.
The exemption table
Column 1 is for a parent with one child at a fee-charging public school; columns 2 to 10 are for more children. Rows below 2% give no exemption, and 10% or more gives total exemption.
| E | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 11% | 20% | 27% | 33% | 38% |
| 2,5% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 14% | 25% | 33% | 40% | 45% | 50% | 54% |
| 3,0% | 0% | 7% | 22% | 33% | 42% | 48% | 53% | 58% | 61% | 64% |
| 3,5% | 7% | 26% | 38% | 47% | 54% | 59% | 63% | 66% | 69% | 71% |
| 4,0% | 25% | 40% | 50% | 57% | 63% | 67% | 70% | 73% | 75% | 77% |
| 4,5% | 39% | 51% | 59% | 65% | 69% | 73% | 76% | 78% | 80% | 81% |
| 5,0% | 50% | 60% | 67% | 71% | 75% | 78% | 80% | 82% | 83% | 85% |
| 5,5% | 59% | 67% | 73% | 77% | 80% | 82% | 84% | 85% | 86% | 87% |
| 6,0% | 67% | 73% | 78% | 81% | 83% | 85% | 87% | 88% | 89% | 90% |
| 6,5% | 73% | 78% | 82% | 85% | 87% | 88% | 89% | 90% | 91% | 92% |
| 7,0% | 79% | 83% | 86% | 88% | 89% | 90% | 91% | 92% | 93% | 93% |
| 7,5% | 83% | 87% | 89% | 90% | 92% | 93% | 93% | 94% | 94% | 95% |
| 8,0% | 88% | 90% | 92% | 93% | 94% | 94% | 95% | 95% | 96% | 96% |
| 8,5% | 91% | 93% | 94% | 95% | 96% | 96% | 96% | 97% | 97% | 97% |
| 9,0% | 94% | 96% | 96% | 97% | 97% | 98% | 98% | 98% | 98% | 98% |
| 9,5% | 97% | 98% | 98% | 98% | 99% | 99% | 99% | 99% | 99% | 99% |
| 10,0% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
Next steps
See the income limits for your school's fees, and read how to apply and appeal.
Frequently asked questions
How is a school fee exemption calculated?
The governing body works out E = 100 × (F + A) ÷ C: the school fees for one child (F) plus other compulsory contributions (A), as a percentage of the parents' combined annual gross income (C). At 10% or more you get total exemption; below 2% none; in between, the exemption table sets the level, depending on how many children you have at fee-charging public schools.
Can a single parent apply?
Yes. If the learner has only one parent, C is that parent's income. If there are two parents but the other parent is untraceable or will not give income details, you can give the governing body an affidavit (section 41(2A) of the Schools Act, added by the BELA Act from 24 December 2024).
What counts as income?
Gross salary or wages, money received from investments, and profit from any business, for both parents together.
What is a partial exemption worth?
In the regulations' own example, fees of R2 500 plus R20 on an income of R30 000 give E = 8,4%, read as 8,5%, so a parent with one child gets 91% off and pays R225. With four children at fee-charging schools and R28 000 income, the level is 97% and the parent pays R75.
Do I qualify automatically?
Yes, without an income test, if you are responsible for a child placed in a foster home, youth care centre, place of safety or orphanage; or you are a kinship caregiver of an orphan, or of an abandoned child with no visible means of support; or you receive a social grant on behalf of the child (for example the child support grant); or the learner is a child who heads a household.
What if I don't qualify but still cannot pay?
Ask for a conditional exemption: the governing body can grant one, with conditions, if circumstances beyond your control mean you cannot pay even the reduced amount.