Setting up a child account

What is a child account?

A child account is a managed profile you create for your minor child, giving you full control over their savings and investments until they come of age.

• Parent-managed: You maintain complete control over all transfers, withdrawals, and settings

• Separate profile: Your child's money is kept distinct from your own accounts

• Tax-free investing: Open a Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) in your child's name to maximise their lifetime allowance

• Long-term growth: Start building wealth for your child's future education, first car, or home deposit

Child accounts are available to parents or legal guardians who have the Protea plan subscription.

Before you begin

To create a child account, you'll need:

• Your child's South African ID number: This is a 13-digit number used to verify their identity

• Your child's legal first name and surname: As they appear on official documents

• Birth certificate: Required to verify your relationship and enable the account

Note: You must be the legal guardian of the child to open an account in their name. Fynbos will ask you to confirm this during setup.

Creating a child account

You can create a child account from the Add Account screen on your home screen.

1. Tap Add account at the bottom of your home screen

2. Select Kid's account from the list of account types

3. Enter your child's First name in the field provided

4. Select a profile colour by tapping the colour circle next to the name field

5. Enter your child's Surname

6. Enter your child's 13-digit ID number

Your child's birthday is automatically calculated from their ID number and displayed for confirmation.

7. Read the legal guardian disclosure at the bottom of the screen

8. Tick the checkbox to confirm you are the legal guardian and are allowed to open accounts in their name

9. Tap Continue

Your child's profile is created and appears on your home screen below your personal accounts.

Uploading the birth certificate

To fully enable your child's account, you'll need to provide their birth certificate. This verifies your relationship and allows transfers to and from the account.

1. Navigate to your child's profile by tapping their name on your home screen

2. Follow the prompts to upload the birth certificate

3. Take a clear photo of the full birth certificate

4. Submit the document for verification

Verification typically completes within 24 hours. You'll receive a notification when the account is fully enabled.

Important: Until the birth certificate is verified, some account features may be limited. Complete this step as soon as possible to unlock full functionality.

Choosing a profile colour

Each child account has a personalised profile colour that helps you quickly identify their account across the app.

1. When entering your child's first name, tap the colour circle on the right side of the field

2. Choose from the available colours: rose, orange, yellow, green, sky, blue, indigo, or purple

3. The colour appears throughout the app wherever your child's profile is displayed

The profile colour appears on:

• Your home screen next to your child's name

• The profile switcher in settings

• Portfolio breakdowns showing your child's portion

• Transfer screens when moving money to their account

Viewing your child's profile

After creating the account, your child's profile appears in a dedicated section on your home screen.

1. Scroll down on your home screen to find your child's profile below your personal accounts

2. Tap your child's name to open their profile view

From your child's profile, you can:

• View their total portfolio balance

• See individual account balances (Cash, Emergency Savings, TFSA)

• Transfer money to their accounts

• Switch to their profile for detailed management

Transferring money to your child

Once your child's account is set up, you can transfer money from your Cash account to their profile instantly.

1. Navigate to your child's profile by tapping their name

2. Tap Transfer in

3. Enter the Transfer amount you want to send

4. Review the transfer details showing money moving from your Cash to your child

5. Tap Review transfer

6. Confirm the amount and accounts on the review screen

7. Tap Transfer

The transfer arrives instantly in your child's Cash account. From there, it can be moved to their other accounts like Emergency Savings or TFSA.

Switching between profiles

You can switch to your child's profile to manage their accounts as if you were signed in as them.

1. Navigate to your child's profile

2. Tap Switch profile

3. The app switches to show your child's accounts and transactions

While viewing your child's profile:

• The app header shows your child's name

• A coloured banner appears at the top indicating you're managing a child's account

• All accounts and transactions shown belong to your child

To switch back to your own profile:

• Tap the coloured banner at the top of the screen

• Or navigate to Settings and select your profile from the profile switcher