How the matric year budget planner works
Last updated 10 November 2026
Matric brings costs that earlier years do not: the jersey, the dance, extra lessons and applications. A list makes them visible early.
How it works
- Each item has an estimate and what is paid.
- Allowance and months to go work as in the other event planners.
Worked example
With the starting figures:
- The estimates total R 55 500, or R 61 050 with the allowance.
Costs that appear in matric
The matric year has costs that earlier years do not. Many are spread across the year, which makes them easy to underestimate. Listing them early gives the family a total and a monthly amount to put aside.
- The matric jersey, ring or jacket
- The matric dance, including clothes, tickets and transport
- Extra lessons and study materials
- Exam fees and stationery
- Photographs and the farewell function
- University or college application fees and travel for visits
How the planner works
Each line has an estimate and what has been paid. The planner adds the estimates, adds an allowance for surprises, subtracts what has been paid and divides what remains by the months you have left. The result is what to put aside each month. Add your own lines, such as a gap-year course or a trip.
Ask the school
Many schools publish a matric calendar and a list of costs. Ask for it at the start of the year and update the planner when you get actual amounts. Application fees differ by institution, so check each one you plan to apply to.
Planning beyond matric
If your child plans to study next year, the costs continue. See the university cost planner and the student budget planner for the first year of study.
Where the starting amounts come from
The numbers shown when the page opens are examples. They are not school prices or averages. Replace them with real figures. Nothing you type is saved.
Spreading the cost across the year
Most matric costs arrive in clumps: the jersey early in the year, the dance in the third term, exam fees and applications towards the end. Seeing them as a monthly amount makes the clumps easier to handle. If the monthly figure looks high, remove or shrink a line, or ask whether the school offers payment plans for the big items.
Things to watch
- Ask the school for its matric calendar and costs.
- Application fees differ by institution.
Plan what comes next with the university cost planner. Read the full disclaimer.
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