Social grant applications are administered by the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA).
The grants are:
Older person’s grant (old age pension)
You can get a grant to see you through your old age. An older person’s grant is paid to people who are 60 years or older. This grant used to be called the old age pension.
How do you know if you qualify?
You must:
- be a South African citizen, permanent resident or refugee
- live in South Africa
- not receive any other social grant for yourself
- not be cared for in a state institution
- not earn more than R86 280 if you are single or R172 560 if married.
- not have assets worth more than 1 227 600 if you are single or R2 455 200 if you are married.
How much will you get?
The maximum amount that you will get is R1 890 per month. If you are older than 75 years, you will get R1 910.
How will you be paid?
The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) will pay the grant to you through one of the following methods:
- cash at a specific pay point on a particular day
- electronic deposit into your bank or Postbank account (the bank may charge you for the service)
- institutions (e.g. old age home).
Note: If you are unable to collect the money yourself, you can appoint a procurator at the SASSA office, or give someone power of attorney to collect the grant on your behalf.
When may your grant be reviewed?
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 (proof that you are still alive) is due. If you receive your money through the bank, an institution or procurator, you are required to fill in a life certificate at the SASSA offices every year.
When may your grant be suspended?
The following may result in the suspension of your grant:
- when your circumstances change
- the outcome of a review
- if you fail to co-operate when your grant is reviewed
- when you commit fraud or misrepresent yourself
- if there was a mistake when your grant was approved.
When will your grant lapse?
The grant will lapse when you:
- pass away
- are admitted to a state institution
- do not claim for three consecutive months
- are absent from the country.
Child support grant
If you are needy, you can get a grant to help you raise the child you look after.
How do you know if you qualify?
You must:
- Be the child’s primary caregiver (e.g. parent, grandparent or a child over 16 heading a family). Note: If you are not the child’s parent, you must provide 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 principal of the school attended by the child.
- Be a South African citizen or permanent resident.
- Not earn more than R52 800 per year if you are single. If you are married, your combined income should not be above R105 600 per year.
The child must:
- be under the age of 18 years
- not be cared for in a state institution
- live with the primary caregiver who is not paid to look after the child.
Both you and the child must live in South Africa.
Note: You cannot get this grant for more than six children who are not your biological or legally adopted children.
How much will you get?
You will get R460 a month per child.
How will you be paid?
The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) will pay the grant to you through one of the following methods:
- cash at a specific pay point on a particular day
- electronic deposit into your bank or Postbank account (the bank may charge you for the service)
- an institution acting as administrator of the grant.
Note: If you are unable to collect the money yourself, you can appoint a procurator at the SASSA office, or give someone power of attorney to collect the grant on your behalf.
When may the child’s grant be reviewed?
SASSA can decide if the child’s 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 on which the review will take place or the date on which the life certificate (proof that you are still alive) is due. If you receive your money through the bank, an institution or procurator, you are required to fill in a life certificate for the child at the SASSA offices every year.
When may the child’s grant be suspended?
The following may result in the suspension of the child’s grant:
- a change in your circumstances
- the outcome of a review
- if you fail to co-operate when the child’s grant is reviewed
- when you commit fraud or misrepresent the child
- if there was a mistake when the child’s grant was approved
- if the child is no longer in your care.
When will the child’s grant lapse?
The grant will lapse:
- if the child passes away
- if the child is admitted to a state institution
- if the caregiver doesn’t claim it for three consecutive months
- if the child is absent from the country
- at the end of the month in which the child turns 18.
Care dependency grant
Get a grant to 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.
How do you know if you qualify?
You must:
- be a parent, primary caregiver or a foster parent appointed by the court
- be a South African citizen or permanent resident
- 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.
Note: This income limit does not apply to foster parents.
The child must:
- be younger than 18 years
- not be cared for permanently in a state institution
- have a severe disability and need full-time and special care.
Both you and the child must live in South Africa.
Note: A state medical officer must assess the child before the grant will be approved.
How much will you get?
You will get R1 890 per month.
How will you be paid?
The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) will pay the grant to you through one of the following methods:
- cash at a specific pay point on a particular day
- electronic deposit into your bank or Postbank account (the bank may charge you for the service)
- an institution acting as administrator of the grant (e.g. welfare organisations).
Note: If you are unable to collect the money yourself, you can appoint a procurator at the SASSA office, or give someone power of attorney to collect the grant on your behalf.
When may the child’s grant be reviewed?
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 procurator, you are required to fill in a life certificate at the SASSA offices every year.
When may the child’s grant be suspended?
The following may result in the suspension of the grant:
- when the child’s circumstances change
- the outcome of a review
- if you fail to co-operate when the child’s grant is reviewed
- when you commit fraud or misrepresent the child
- if there was a mistake when the child’s grant was approved.
When will your grant lapse?
The grant will lapse when the:
- child passes away
- child is admitted to a state institution
- beneficiary who is the caregiver does not claim the grant for three consecutive months
- child is absent from the country
- child turns 19.
Grant in aid (if you live on a social grant but need someone to take care of you)
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.
How do you know if you qualify?
You must:
- already get a disability grant, war veteran’s grant or grant for older persons
- not be able to look after yourself owing to your physical or mental disability, and therefore need full-time care from someone else
- not be cared for in an institution that receives a subsidy from the government for your care or housing.
How much will you get?
You will get R460 per month.
How will you be paid?
The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) will pay the grant to you through one of the following methods:
- cash at a specific pay point on a particular day
- electronic deposit into your bank or Postbank account (the bank may charge you for the service)
- an institution acting as administrator of the grant (e.g. welfare organisation).
The grant will be paid together with your social grant.
Note: If you are unable to collect the money yourself, you can appoint a procurator at the SASSA office, or give someone power of attorney to collect the grant on your behalf.
When may your grant be reviewed?
Your grant may be reviewed when the social grant to which it is attached is reviewed.
War veteran’s grant
If you are a former soldier who fought in the Second World War (1939-1945) or the Korean War (1950-1953) and are unable to support yourself, you can apply for a war veteran’s grant.
How do you know if you qualify?
You must:
- be a South African citizen or permanent resident
- live in South Africa
- be 60 years of age or older or be disabled
- have fought in the Second World War or the Korean War
- not receive any other social grant for yourself
- not be cared for in a state institution
- not earn more than R 86 280 if you are single or R172 560 if married
- not have assets worth more than R 1 227 600 if you are single or R 2 455 200 if you are married.
Note: If you live in the house that you or your spouse own, the value is not taken into account for the purpose of the means test.
How much will you get?
You will get R 1 910 per month.
How will you be paid?
The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) will pay the grant to you through one of the following methods:
- cash at a specific pay point on a particular day
- electronic deposit into your bank or Postbank account (the bank may charge you for the service)
- an institution acting as administrator of the grant e.g. a welfare organisation.
Please note: If you are unable to collect the money yourself, you can appoint a procurator at the SASSA office, or give someone power of attorney to collect the grant on your behalf.
When may your grant be reviewed?
SASSA can decide if your grant must be reviewed. Your income as declared when you apply for the grant will form the basis this decision. You will be notified three months in advance of the date on which the review will take place or the date on which the life certificate (a document to prove that you are still alive) is due. If you receive your money through the bank, an institution or procurator, you are required to fill in a life certificate at the SASSA offices every year.
When may your grant be suspended?
The following may result in the suspension of your grant:
- when your circumstances change
- the outcome of a review
- if you fail to co-operate when your grant is reviewed
- when you commit fraud or misrepresent yourself
- if there was a mistake when your grant was approved.
When will your grant lapse?
The grant will lapse in the case of:
- death
- admission to a state institution
- if the grant is not claimed for three consecutive months
- when you are absent from the country.
Please note: If you are admitted to an institution that has a contract with the state to care for you, the social grant is reduced to 25% of the maximum amount of the grant. This will start from the fourth month following your admission to that institution. The reduced grant is re-instated immediately from the date you are discharged from the institution.
Foster child grant
Get a grant to take care of your foster child. A foster child is a child who has been placed in your custody by a court as a result of being:
- orphaned
- abandoned
- at risk
- abused
- neglected.
How do you know if you qualify?
To qualify:
- you must be a South African citizen, permanent resident or refugee
- you and the child must live in South Africa
- the foster child must be legally placed in your care and the child must remain in your care
- the child must be younger than 18.
How much will you get?
You will get R1 050 per month per child.
How will you be paid?
The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) will pay the grant to you through one of the following methods:
- cash at a specific pay point on a particular day
- electronic deposit into your bank or Postbank account (the bank may charge you for the service)
- an institution acting as the administrator of the grant (e.g. a welfare organisation).
Note: If you are unable to collect the money yourself, you can appoint a procurator at the SASSA office, or give someone power of attorney to collect the grant on your behalf.
When may your grant be reviewed?
The grant will be reviewed on expiry of the court order. Currently this is every two years. You will be advised three months in advance of the need to review the grant.
If you receive your money through the bank, an institution or procurator, you are required to fill in a life certificate (a document to prove that you are still alive) at a SASSA office every year.
When may your grant be suspended?
The following may result in the suspension of your grant:
- a change in your circumstances
- the outcome of a review
- if you fail to co-operate when your grant is reviewed
- when you commit fraud or misrepresent yourself
- if there was a mistake when your grant was approved.
When will your grant lapse?
The grant will lapse:
- in the case of death of the child or the last living foster parent
- in the case of admission of the child to a state institution
- if the grant is not claimed for three consecutive months
- when you are absent from the country
- if the child is no longer in your foster care
- if you are not a refugee any more.
Disability grant
If you have a physical or mental disability which makes you unfit to work for a period of longer than six months, you can apply for a disability grant.
You get a permanent disability grant if your disability will continue for more than a year and a temporary disability grant if your disability will last for a continuous period of not less than six months and not more than 12 months. A permanent disability grant does not mean you will receive the grant for life, but that it will continue for longer than 12 months.
How do you know if you qualify?
To qualify, you must:
- be a South African citizen or permanent resident or refugee and living in South Africa at the time of application
- be between 18 and 59 years old
- not be cared for in a state institution
- have a 13-digit, bar-coded identity document (ID)
- not earn more than R86 280 if you are single or R172 560 if married.
- not have assets worth more than R1 227 600 if you are single or R2 455 200 if you are married
- undergo a medical examination where a doctor appointed by the state will assess the degree of your disability
- bring along any previous medical records and reports when you make the application and when the assessment is done.
The doctor will complete a medical report and will forward the report to South African Social Security Agency (SASSA).
The report is valid for three months from the date you are assessed.
Note: If you are under 18 and need permanent care due to your disability, your primary caregiver can apply for a Care Dependency Grant. If you don’t have an ID, you will be required to complete an affidavit and provide proof of having applied for the document from the Department of Home Affairs. If you have not applied for an ID, you must do so within three months of applying for the grant.
How much will you get?
The maximum is R1 890 per month.
How will you be paid?
A grant will be paid to you through one of the following methods:
- cash at a specific pay point on a particular day
- electronic deposit into your bank account, including Postbank (the bank may charge you for the service)
- an institution not funded by the State – e.g. home for people with disabilities.
When may your grant be suspended?
The following may result in the suspension of your grant:
- when your circumstances change
- the outcome of a review
- if you fail to co-operate when your grant is reviewed
- when you commit fraud or misrepresent yourself
- if there was a mistake when your grant was approved.
When may your grant lapse?
The grant will lapse when you:
- pass away
- are admitted to a state institution
- do not claim for three consecutive months
- are absent from the country.
Please note: If you are admitted to an institution that has a contract with the state to care for you, the grant is reduced to 25% of the maximum amount of the grant. That will be done with effect from the fourth month following your admission to that institution. The reduced grant is re-instated immediately from the date you are discharged from the institution.
– All information provided on this article was taken from the official South African Government website: https://www.gov.za/faq/services/how-do-i-apply-social-grant