How to deposit into a child savings goal

A savings goal in KiddyCash is a named bucket that sits inside your child’s wallet. It holds money set aside for a specific purpose — a new school bag, a bicycle, or a trip to the coast — and tracks progress toward a target amount. When you deposit into a goal, you move money from your child’s spendable balance (the funds available for everyday use) into that goal bucket. The spendable balance goes down; the goal progress goes up.

Before you begin, make sure you have already created a savings goal for your child. If the goal does not exist yet, follow that guide first, then come back here.

What you will need

  • The KiddyCash app, open and logged in to your parent account
  • A savings goal that has already been set up for your child
  • Sufficient funds in your child’s spendable balance (topped up via M-Pesa, card, or any linked payment method)

Steps to deposit into a savings goal

1. Open your family dashboard. From the KiddyCash home screen, tap Family in the bottom navigation bar. You will see a list of the children linked to your account.

2. Select the child. Tap the child whose goal you want to fund. This opens their individual wallet screen, showing their spendable balance and any active goals.

3. Go to the goal. Scroll down to the Savings Goals section and tap the goal you want to deposit into. You can also view all savings goals for a child if you need a full picture of their progress before deciding how much to add. The goal detail screen shows the target amount, current progress, and the shortfall remaining.

You can also navigate directly to the goal from your browser using the goal’s unique link: https://kiddy.cash/family/kiddy/account/goal/:goal_id Replace :goal_id with the actual ID shown in the app URL or goal settings.

4. Tap “Deposit into goal”. On the goal detail screen, tap the Deposit into goal button. This is distinct from adding money to the wallet — it moves funds that are already in the wallet into the goal.

5. Enter the deposit amount. Type the amount in KES you want to move. The app will show your child’s current spendable balance so you can see exactly what is available. You cannot deposit more than the spendable balance; if the balance is too low, top up the wallet first.

6. Confirm the deposit. Review the summary — child’s name, goal name, amount in KES, and the updated balances — then tap Confirm. The transaction is recorded instantly. If your family uses transaction codes, the app may prompt you to enter your parent code before the deposit goes through.

7. Check the new progress. The goal progress bar updates immediately. You will also see a confirmation notification. Your child can see the change in their own KiddyCash view, which makes it a great moment to talk about how saving works — especially if you involve them in the family budget conversation. If you are looking for practical ways to do that, why the family budget is your most powerful financial teaching tool and how to run a simple family budget kids can see and learn from are good starting points.

Things to keep in mind

  • Money inside a goal is not available for spending until you withdraw it back to the spendable balance.
  • You can make multiple deposits into the same goal over time — there is no limit on deposit frequency.
  • Deposits do not count as allowance payments and will not trigger allowance-related badges.