How to create a loan for a child

A loan in KiddyCash is a fixed amount of money you advance to your child’s wallet, which they pay back in scheduled instalments over time. It’s a practical way to teach kids about borrowing responsibly — whether you’re helping your child in Nairobi cover a school trip, buy a new football, or save up for something they want now but can’t yet afford.

Before you start, you’ll need at least one child already added to your family in KiddyCash, with an active wallet. If you haven’t done that yet, set up your family first, then come back here.

What you’ll need

  • Your KiddyCash parent account (logged in)
  • Your child’s wallet set up and active
  • A clear repayment plan in mind — how much, how often, and over how many periods (for example, KES 500 per week for 6 weeks)

Steps to create a loan

  1. Open the loan creation page. Go directly to Create a Loan in the app. This takes you straight to the loan setup form.

  2. Select the child. From the dropdown at the top of the form, choose which child the loan is for. Only children linked to your family account will appear here.

  3. Enter the loan amount. Type in the total amount you’re lending, in KES. This is the full sum that will be added to your child’s wallet immediately after the loan is confirmed. For example, enter 3000 if you’re lending KES 3,000.

  4. Set the repayment schedule. Choose how often repayments will be deducted from your child’s wallet — weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. Then enter the amount per instalment and the number of instalments. KiddyCash will show you a repayment summary so you can confirm the figures look right before proceeding.

  5. Add a loan description (optional but recommended). Give the loan a short label your child will recognise, like “School trip advance” or “New shoes.” This helps make the loan feel real and purposeful — a small but meaningful step in connecting everyday money moments to financial literacy.

  6. Review the loan summary. Before confirming, check the total amount, the repayment schedule, and the start date. Make sure these match what you discussed with your child. Involving them in this step helps them understand what they’re agreeing to.

  7. Confirm and create the loan. Tap Create Loan. The loan amount is instantly credited to your child’s wallet, and the repayment schedule becomes active. Your child will see the loan reflected in their wallet view, along with upcoming repayment dates.

What happens next

Repayments are automatically deducted from your child’s wallet on each scheduled date. If their wallet balance is too low on a repayment date, the deduction may be missed — so it’s worth encouraging your child to keep their balance topped up. Pairing a loan with a regular allowance or chore-based earnings gives them a reliable way to meet repayments.

You can view the status and repayment history of a loan at any time from the Loans section of your family dashboard. If you need to adjust the terms after creation — for example, if your family circumstances change — see how to edit a child loan.