Sassa Begins Making Grant Payments For July 2023

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 to assist South Africans in the best way possible. 

For the month of July, Sassa payments began this Tuesday, 4 July. 

Older Persons Grant will be paid from Tuesday, 4 July, Disability Grants will be paid from Wednesday, 5 July and Children's Grants will be paid from Thursday, 6 July. 

There is no set payment date or schedule for R350 grants but Sassa has stated that if you are approved, you will receive your SRD grant in due time.

Here are each of the social grants explained:

The Social Relief of Distress grant (SRD)

The SRD grant (also known as the R350 grant) was created and implemented in 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic. The grant's main aim was to provide support to unemployed citizens, who received no other income during the time of the lockdown.

This grant sees beneficiaries receiving R350 grant payments every month, which is why many have called it the R350 grant. 

The SRD grant was initially established as temporary, but has grown significantly, with millions of people now relying on the money they receive for their overall survival, due to the rising levels of poverty, unemployment and a high cost of living. 

To become a SRD grant beneficiary, applicants must meet the following requirements:

1. Must be unemployed
2. Must have income of R624 or less per month
3. Be a South African citizen, permanent resident, refugee, a holder of a special permit under the Special Angolan Dispensation, the Lesotho Exemption Permit Dispensation; Zimbabwe Exemption Permit Dispensation; or an Asylum seeker with a valid section 22 permit or visa
4. Be between the ages of 18 and 59 years old
5. Reside within the borders of South Africa
6. Be registered on the Home Affairs database or Sassa's social grant database for individuals without ID documents.
7. Not living in a government Institution or subsidised institution
8. Not receiving covid-19 Social Relief of Distress grant
9. Not receiving Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) Benefits or National Student Financial Aid Scheme (Nsfas) support or any other social grants distributed by Sassa

The Child Support grant (CSG)

Sassa provides financial assistance in the form of a Child Support Grant to the primary care giver of a child who meets the qualifying criteria:

• Must be under 18 years old
• Must not be in the care of a state institution
• Must live with the primary caregiver, who isn't paid to look after the child.

The primary caregiver should meet the following criteria:

• Must be a South African citizen or permanent resident.
• Must not earn more than R48 000 a year (R4 000 a month) if you're single. If you're married, your combined income shouldn't be above R96 000 a year (R8 000 a month).

If you are not the parent of the child then you will need to provide proof that you're the child's primary caregiver. You can use an affidavit from a police official or the biological parent, a report from a social worker or a letter from the principal of the child's school as proof. 

Both the child and the applicant/recipient need to meet the eligibility criteria in order to qualify for the grant.

You cannot get the grant for more than six children who aren't legally adopted children or your biological children. You also may not get the grant if someone else is already getting a grant for the child. 

SASSA will also perform a means test in order to determine whether an applicant's income is less than a certain level in order to be eligible for the grant.  

Once you have been approved for the grant you will receive an amount of R440 per month per child. You must specify how you would like the grant paid when you are completing your application.

Caregivers can also receive an additional R240, added to the basic CSG amount of R480, known as the "Top-Up grant", which was launched on 1 June 2022 to increase the amount received by orphans. 

The Department of Social Development (DSD) stated that the Top-Up will consequently be subject to the same eligibility requirements as the CSG. 

The Disability grant 

Sassa has been issuing necessary grants for disadvantaged South African citizens for almost two decades, one of which is the Disability Grant, dedicated to low-income citizens living with mental and physical disabilities. 

Applicants for the Disability Grant will need to follow certain criteria to confirm whether or not they will be able to receive the grant. If their grant is successful, they can receive up to R2 080 per month.

Before even applying for the grant, the applicant needs to go for a medical assessment. For this, they will need to download the Medical Assessment: Referral Form here, and then take it to a medical institution to be filled in.

Only once the medical assessment results are received, will the applicant know whether they will be able to apply for the disability grant.

To qualify for the grant, the applicant must:

• Be a South African citizen, permanent resident or refugee.
• Be resident in South Africa.
• Be 18 to 59 years of age.
• Submit a medical / assessment report confirming permanent, severe disability.
• Provide a medical assessment that is not older than 3 months at date of application.
• Meet the requirements of the means test (including spouse), which requires that the beneficiary not earn over R86 280 if single, or R172 560 if married.
• Not be maintained or cared for in a State Institution.
• Not be in receipt of another social grant in respect of him or herself. 

The Foster Child grant 

The Foster Child Grant (FCG) is a payment from the government of South Africa, to a foster parent (by a valid court order) of a child under the age of 18. The grant is intended for foster parents who need financial assistance to help take care of a foster child or children.

The Foster Child grant is paid per court order to the foster parent. 

The requirements to qualify for this grant are: 

• The foster parent must be a South African citizen, permanent resident or refugee.
• Both the applicant and the child must reside in South Africa.
• Child must remain in the care of the foster parent(s).

Applicants who qualify for the Child Foster Care grant will receive an amount of R1050 per month.

The Old Person's grant 

The Older Person's Grant provides some financial assistance to people who are 60 years and older, as they may no longer be able to work and earn an income.

The grant is commonly referred to as the Pensioner's grant and is worth a maximum of R2 080 per month, while those who are older than 75 years old will receive up to R2 100 per month. 

To qualify for the Older Person's Grant the applicant must:

• Be a South African citizen, permanent resident or refugee.
• Be a resident in South Africa.
• Not be less than 60 years.
• Not be in receipt of another social grant for him or herself.
• The applicant and spouse must comply with the means test, which stipulates that a beneficiary should not be earning over R86 280 if single, or over R172 560 if married.
• Not be maintained or cared for in a State Institution.
• Submit a 13 digit bar-coded identity document.

Care Dependency grant 

The Care Dependency is for those people who take care of a child who has a severe disability and is in need of full-time and special care. The Care Dependency grant covers disabled children from birth until they turn 18, but can also be applied for by older people.

The requirements to qualify for this grant are:

• The applicant must be a South African citizen, permanent resident or refugee.
• The applicant and child must be resident in South Africa.
• Child must be under the age of 18 years.
• The applicant must submit a medical / assessment report confirming permanent, severe disability.
• The applicant and spouse must meet the requirements of the means test (except for foster parents.
• The care-dependent child/children must not be permanently cared for in a State Institution.
• Must not earn more than R223 200 a year if you are single. Your combined income should not be above R446 400  a year if you are married. (This income limit does not apply to foster parents). 

Those who qualify for this grant will receive an amount of R1890 per month.

Sassa can decide if your grant must be reviewed. Your income as declared when you apply for the grant will form the basis for this decision.

You will be notified three months in advance of the date when the review will take place or the date on which the life certificate (document to prove that you are still alive) is due. If you receive your money through the bank, an institution or Sassa procurator, you are required to fill in a life certificate at the Sassa offices every year. 

War Veterans grant

The War Veterans Grant is geared towards people who were former soldiers who fought in the Second World War (1939-1945) or the Korean War (1950-1953) and are unable to support themselves.

To qualify for the grant, the applicant must meet the following requirements: 

• Must be a South African citizen or permanent resident
• Must live in South Africa
• Must be 60 years of age or older or be disabled
• Must have fought in the Second World War or the Korean War
• Must not receive any other social grant for yourself  
• Must not be cared for in a state institution
• Must not earn more than R 86 280 if you are single or R172 560 if married
• Must not have assets worth more than R 1 227 600 if you are single or R 2 455 200 if you are married.

People who qualify for this grant will receive an amount of R 2 100 per month.

Grant-in-Aid 

The Grant in Aid is used to assist with medical bills, nutritious food purchases, and compensating the person taking care of the frail, in addition to another grant. 

If you are living on a social grant but can’t look after yourself, you can get an additional grant to pay the person who takes full-time care of you. 

The requirements to qualify for this grant are as follows: 

• The applicant must be in receipt of a grant for Older Persons.
• Disability grant or a War Veteran's grant, and require full- time attendance by another person.
• Owing to his/her physical or mental disabilities.
• Must not be cared for in an institution that receives subsidy from the State for the care/housing of such beneficiary.

Those who qualify for this grant will receive an amount of R460 per month. The grant will be paid together with your social grant.

The grant payment can be paid out in cash on certain days of the month or you can receive the payment electronically into your bank account. 

Besides being paid directly into your bank account, there are other ways for you to receive your payment, You can collect your grant from a retail merchant, have it sent to your Sassa card or you can utilise CashSend services.

You can change the payment method at any time by filling in a form, but the change will only happen a month later. 

Sassa payments are made in various ways. They can be paid through a bank account, through your Sassa card, through a Post Office or through CashSend. Your Sassa grant is there to assist you with your basic needs. 

Sassa also gives a chance to a Sassa grant application which was rejected in the form of a Sassa appeal.