The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) provides various social grants to the country's most vulnerable citizens, typically those with little to no income.
There are currently eight social grants that South Africans can apply for. The grants are meant to assist South Africans in the best way possible, by providing some help in the form of monthly disbursements of social grants.
Sassa applications can be done online, via the grant provider's official website.
Here is a guide on how to upload supporting documents for a Sassa social grant:
The submission of documents is a standard part of most application processes. When applying for a Sassa social grant, you will be required to submit a few documents with your application form.
By selecting the related application, options for upload of supporting documents will be displayed. The list of required documents will be determined from the information provided in the Application Form.
The Questionnaire also provides a list of required supporting documents, but does not activate the upload functionality.
Each required supporting document in the list will have actions next to it, i.e., View, Upload, Remove, Print. Select which one applies to you.
It's important to remember that in addition to the supporting documents, every application requires a Sassa affidavit particular to that grant type that needs to be completed in full and then uploaded.
Here are the supporting documents generally required when applying for each of the social grants
People 60 years or older receive this grant. Previously, it was known as the Old Age Pension. Supporting documents needed include:
- Identity Documents (ID)
- Proof of marital status (if applicable).
- Proof of residence.
- Proof of income and/or dividends (if any).
- Proof of assets, including the value of the property you own.
- Proof of private pension (if any).
- Bank statements (last 3 months).
- Proof of Unemployment Insurance Fund membership or discharge certificate from the previous employer (if applicable).
- Copy of the Will and fiesta and final liquidation and distribution accounts (if your spouse has passed away within the last 5 years).
Child Support Grant
This grant is meant to provide help parents or guardians look after their children if they are struggling financially. The supporting documents needed include:
- Parent or guardian’s ID
- Child’s birth certificate
- Proof of maintenance received for the child.
- Proof of income.
- Marriage certificate (if applicable).
- A court order stating you have custody of the child (if divorced).
- Death certificate or missing person’s report from the police (if one or both parents have passed or are missing).
Care Dependency Grant
This grant is provided to those who take care of a child who has a severe disability and is in need of full-time and special care. The supporting documents needed include:
- Parent or guardian’s ID.
- Child’s birth certificate.
- Medical/assessment report confirming the child’s disability.
- Proof of marital status.
- Salary slips, bank statements for the previous three months, pension slips, and any other proof of income. (Note: this does not apply to refugee foster parents.)
- If you are:
- not the child's parent, proof that you are the child’s primary caregiver through an affidavit from a police official, a social worker’s report, an affidavit from the biological parent or a letter from the school principal from the school attended by the child needs to be provided.
- the biological parent of the child and the sole provider and caregiver, proof that you have tried to get the other parent to pay maintenance is needed.
- unemployed, proof from the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) or a discharge certificate from your previous employer is required.
- a refugee foster parent, please provide your refugee status permit and your refugee ID.
- the child’s foster parent, the court order placing the child in your care is needed.
Grant-In-Aid
Those living on a social grant but can’t look after themselves are provided with an additional grant to pay the person who takes full-time care of them. The supporting documents needed include:
- Identity Documents (ID).
- Proof of marital status.
- Spouse’s ID (if applicable).
- Medical/assessment report (less than 3 months old) that shows that you need full-time care.
War Veteran’s Grant
Former soldiers who fought in the Second World War (1939-1945) or the Korean War (1950-1953) and are unable to support themselves can apply for this grant. The supporting documents needed include:
- Identity Documents (ID).
- Proof of war service (Certificate of service).
- Medical assessment/report stating that you cannot work (if under 60 years old).
- An affidavit stating that you are single (if applicable).
- Marriage certificate and your spouse’s ID (if applicable).
- Divorce order (if applicable).
- Spouse’s death certificate (if applicable).
- Proof of income (if you or your spouse is employed).
- Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) blue book or discharge certificate from your previous employer (if applicable).
- Bank statements for the last three months (if applicable)
- Information on the interest and dividends you earn (if you have investments).
Foster Child Grant
A foster child is a child who has been placed in someone's custody by a court as a result of being:
- Orphaned
- Abandoned
- At risk
- Abused
- Neglected.
The supporting documents needed include:
- Identity document (ID)
- Child’s birth certificate.
- Status permit and refugee ID (if you are a refugee).
- A court order that placed the child in your care.
- Proof of your marital status.
Disability Grant
Those who have a physical or mental disability, which makes them unfit to work for a period of longer than six months, can apply for a disability grant. A temporary disability grant is provided if the disability will last for a continuous period of not less than six months and not more than 12 months.
A permanent disability grant is awarded if the disability will continue for more than a year. A permanent disability grant does not mean you will receive the grant for life, but that it will continue for longer than 12 months.
Documents needed:
- Identity document (ID)
- Medical report and functional assessment report that confirms disability.
- Proof of marital status (if applicable).
- Proof of residence.
- Proof of income or dividends (if any).
- Proof of assets, including the municipal value of your property.
- Proof of private pension (if any).
- Bank statements for the past three months.
- Refugee status permit and 13-digit refugee ID.
- Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) document ('blue book') or discharge certificate from your previous employer (if you were employed).
- Copy of the will and the first and final liquidation and distribution accounts, if your spouse died within the last five years.
Social Relief of Distress (SRD) Grant
The Social Relief of Distress grant is a temporary provision of assistance, intended for persons in such dire material need that they are unable to meet their families’ most basic needs. The supporting documents needed include:
- Identity document (ID).
- Proof of no other support.
- Proof of no income.
If you are hoping to receive a Sassa social grant you should be running a Sassa status check on the official Sassa website. When you perform the Sassa status check you will receive information on which months you will be paid and which months you won't.
To find out more about Sassa, Sassa grant applications and the SRD grant, head to our Sassa page.
