7 April 2017
This is an overview of South Africa’s social grant system and how to apply for social assistance. GroundUp updates this article regularly.
This page was originally published on 6 March 2013. It was updated on 24 October 2024.
(Please note that GroundUp is not affiliated with the Government or the South African Social Security Agency in any way. We do our best to provide accurate information on this page because it is often hard for people to find information on government websites. While we do our best to be accurate, we can make no guarantees. If you notice any discrepancies, please email info@groundup.org.za.)
For a developing country, South Africa has a well-established social welfare system and a large proportion of social spending goes towards social grants. More than 18 million social grants are paid monthly.
Social Grants are in place to improve standards of living and redistribute wealth to create a more equitable society. Sections 24 through 29 of the Bill of Rights in the South African Constitution recognise the socio-economic rights of citizens, including the right to social security. The government is obligated to progressively realise these rights, meaning that “the state must take reasonable legislative and other measures, within its available resources, to achieve the progressive realisation of the right.”
Social grants are administered by the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA). SASSA is mandated by the South African Social Security Agency Act of 2004 to “ensure the provision of comprehensive social security services against vulnerability and poverty within the constitutional legislative framework”.
The Social Assistance Act of 2004 and regulations of the act provide the legal framework for the administration of seven social grants. Grants are targeted at categories of people who are vulnerable to poverty and in need of state support. These are older people, people with disabilities and children. Also, the Social Relief of Distress award provides immediate temporary assistance to people in dire need of financial support and is given to people in the form of vouchers, food parcels or money for a three-month period.
Grants available include:
Applicants for social grants must be South African citizens, permanent residents or refugees and currently living in South Africa.
Except for the Foster Child Grant and the Grant in Aid, social grants in South Africa are currently “means tested”. The means test is the process of assessing the value of your assets and income. You will only be eligible for a grant if your income and assets fall below a certain threshold. This threshold is different for all the grants and will depend on whether or not you are married. The amount you receive for your Old Age Grant and the Disability Grant is also determined by the means test and you may not necessarily receive the maximum amount offered by SASSA.
If you do some work or have another source of income but still really need social assistance you can still apply for a grant. You must declare all your income and assets to SASSA. If you receive a disability grant, old-age grant or war veterans grant your monthly money will be reduced according to how much money you earn.
If you are admitted to a state institution for an extended period of time, the value of your Old Age Grant, Disability Grant or War Veteran’s Grant will be reduced to 25% of its value from the 4th month following your admission until you are discharged.
Child Support Grant
Child Support Grant pays R530 to primary caregivers who need financial help to take care of their child(ren).
A R250 top-up of the grant is available. This means the maximum Child Support Grant is R780 per child, per month.
To receive this grant you must be the primary caregiver of a child who lives with you in South Africa. You must be a South African Citizen, permanent resident or refugee. If you are not the biological parent of the child, you must provide proof of your primary caregiver status. This can be an affidavit from a police official, a social worker’s report, an affidavit from the child’s biological parent, or a letter from the child’s school principal. You may not be receiving any other payment to care for the child.
Children must be under the age of 18. Children must not be cared for in a state institution. Children of school-going age must be attending school.
You cannot apply for more than six non-biological or legally adopted children.
You will require these documents to apply.
In order to qualify for the grant you need to meet the requirements of the means test. If you are single you must not earn more than R63,600 per year (R5,300 per month). If you are married, your combined income must not be more than R127,200 per year (R10,600 per month).
Care Dependency Grant
The Care Dependency Grant increased to R2,190 in October 2024 (previously R2,180). The Care Dependency Grant is given to caregivers of children who need full-time care because of a disability.
To qualify, you must be the child’s primary caregiver and you must be a South African citizen, permanent resident or a refugee. You and the child must reside in South Africa.
The child must be found permanently and severely medically disabled by a medical officer and must be under the age of 18. The child cannot be cared for in a state institution.
You will require these documents to apply. Applicants fostering a Care Dependent child may also qualify for the Child Support Grant at the same time. Foster parents are not means tested.
In order to qualify for the grant you need to meet the requirements of the means test. If you are single, you must not earn more than R261,600 per year (R21,800 per month). If you are married your household cannot earn more than R523,200 per year (R43,600).
Foster Child Grant
The Foster Care Grant pays R1,180 per month.
To meet the requirements for this grant both you and the child you care for must live in South Africa. The child must be under the age of 18 years old and there must be a court order indicating that you have been designated the foster carer for the child.
You will require these documents to apply.
There is no means test for foster parents. The child must remain in the care of the foster parent.
Disability Grant
This grant pays a maximum of R2,190 as of October 2024 (previously R2,180). The grant value works on a sliding scale – higher-earning applicants will receive a smaller amount.
In order to qualify for this grant you must be between the age of 18 and 59 years. You must be found medically unfit for work by a state-appointed medical officer because of a mental or physical disability.
The grant is available on a permanent or temporary basis for between six and twelve months. When your temporary grant expires and you have not recovered sufficiently to return to work you will need to apply for the grant again. Your permanent grant can be reviewed in order to assess whether you are in fact still disabled. See Frequently Asked Questions about Social Grants or the SASSA grants website for more details on eligibility for the disability grant.
You cannot be the recipient of any other grants, and must not be cared for in a state institution.
You will need these documents to apply.
In order to qualify for the grant, you need to meet the requirements of the means test. If you are single your income cannot be more than R101,640 per year (R8,470 per month) and your assets cannot be worth more than R1,438,800. If you are married your combined income cannot exceed R203,280 (R16,940 per month) and combined assets can be no more than R2,877,600.
Grant-in-Aid
The value of Grant-in-Aid increased to R530 in October 2024.
If you are living on a social grant but can’t look after yourself, you can get an additional grant to pay someone to take full-time care of you.
The Grant-in-Aid is an extra grant for people receiving Disability, Older Persons or War Veteran’s grant who, because of their mental or physical disabilities, are unable to look after themselves and need to pay a full-time caregiver. In order to receive this grant, you will need to be assessed by a medical officer (either private or state doctor). You cannot receive this grant if you are being cared for in a state institution.
You will need these documents to apply.
Older Persons Grant (or Old Age Pension/Grant)
The maximum value of the Older Persons Grant is R2,190 as of October 2024 (previously R2,180) for people between 60 and 74 years old. For those over the age of 75, the grant is R2,210 as of October 2024 (previously R2,200). These amounts may vary depending on your income and assets.
You can apply for this grant if you are 60 years or older. You cannot be a recipient of other grants, and you must not be under the care of a state institution (including state old age homes).
In order to qualify for the grant, you need to meet the requirements of the means test. If you are single your income cannot be more than R101,640 per year (R8,470 per month) and your assets cannot be worth more than R1,438,800. If you are married your combined income cannot exceed R203,280 (R16,940 per month) and combined assets can be no more than R2,877,600.
You will need these documents to apply.
War Veteran’s Grant
The maximum value of the grant increased to R2,210 in October 2024.
To qualify for this grant you must have fought in World War II or the Korean War. You must also be over the age of 60 or disabled. You cannot be a recipient of other grants and must not be cared for in a state institution.
In order to qualify for the grant, you need to meet the requirements of the means test. If you are single your income cannot be more than R101,640 per year (R8,470 per month) and your assets cannot be worth more than R1,438,800. If you are married your combined income cannot exceed R203,280 (R16,940 per month) and combined assets can be no more than R2,877,600.
Social Relief of Distress (SRD)
Social relief of distress is temporary assistance for people in the following situations:
Social Relief of Distress is issued monthly for a maximum period of three months. An extension of a further three months may be granted in exceptional cases. You cannot apply for this grant if you are already the recipient of a different grant.
Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress
Also known as the “R350 grant”, which was the initial grant value. This grant now pays R370 per month as of April 2024. Should your application be successful, payment will be backdated to the month you applied for the grant.
To qualify for the Covid-19 SRD grant, you must be:
The information you have to give SASSA is the following:
You can only apply electronically:
SASSA will only ask for your bank details once the application has been approved. You should never give your PIN number.
Many readers contact us with queries on the application process, why SASSA declined their application, and how to appeal SASSA’s decision. Our answers to questions about this grant can be found here.
How to apply
You can go to a SASSA office or apply online (this article explains how).
If you are too old or too sick to apply for the grant at the office you may have a friend or family member apply on your behalf by way of power of attorney. You can also arrange for a home visit, although you may wait a while for this.
The application forms must be completed in the presence of a SASSA officer. When you hand in your application you will be given a receipt as proof of application - do not lose it. The application is free. You will receive written notification if your application is denied. You have the right to ask for reconsideration and you can also lodge an appeal within 90 days.
Applicants must provide proof of identity. If you do not have a 13-digit barcoded Identity Book or birth certificate for children, you may provide alternative documentation as proof of identity. Contact your nearest SASSA office to find out which alternative documents are accepted.
Other documents required for application: If married, provide the ID of your spouse and proof of spousal relationship (marriage certificate, divorce order, a sworn statement, or spouse’s death certificate). Sworn statement or affidavit stating the income and assets of yourself and your spouse. Supporting documents to prove your income and assets. You must also provide proof of the income of dependent children.
The application process takes up to 90 days and your first payment will include back-pay for the time you wait to receive the grant. This is calculated from the first day of application.
Note: When affidavits are required, SASSA will provide the affidavits to be completed.
Your SASSA card
If your grant application is successful you will receive a SASSA card and a bank account where your money will be deposited each month. This card is associated with MasterCard and can be used as a debit card and you can either use it to make purchases, check your balance or withdraw cash at till points wherever MasterCard is accepted without incurring any transaction costs. You can also withdraw money with your card at ATMs, but you will be charged transaction charges. You and other people can also deposit money into this account.
SASSA contact details
SASSA customer care hotline: 0800 601 011
SASSA email: grantsenquiries@sassa.gov.za
More resources
For other information regarding social grants read SASSA’s 2024/25 social grant information booklet.
To find SASSA offices and to get information on the grants, visit this page or call the SASSA hotline on 0800 601 011.
See GroundUp’s Frequently Asked Questions about social grants.
This unofficial SASSA grants website also has useful information - note that they are an informational website that is not involved with the government, SASSA or GroundUp.