The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has been operating in South Africa since 2006. They are a government entity that distributes social grants to more than 16 million South Africans on behalf of the Department of Social Development (DSD).
They offer various grants:
- Care Dependency Grant
- Child Support Grant
- Disability Grant
- Foster Child Grant
- Grant-In-Aid
- Older Persons Grant
- Social Relief of Distress Grant
- War Veterans Grant
- Covid-19 Relief Grant
SASSA Payment Dates
All SASSA payment dates vary depending on the type of grant. These are the SASSA payment dates for the remainder of 2023 and the beginning of 2022.
August 2023:
Older Persons Grant: 3rd August 2023
Disability Grant: 4th August 2023
Children’s Grant: 5th August 2023
All other grants: From the 5th of August 2023
September 2023:
Older Persons Grant: 3rd September 2023
Disability Grant: 6th September 2023
Children’s Grant: 7th September 2023
All other grants: From the 7th of September 2023
October 2023:
Older Persons Grant: 5th October 2023
Disability Grant: 6th October 2023
Children’s Grant: 7th October 2023
All other grants: From the 7th of October 2023
November 2023:
Older Persons Grant: 3rd November 2023
Disability Grant: 4th November 2023
Children’s Grant: 5th November 2023
All other grants: From the 5th of November 2023
December 2023:
Older Persons Grant: 1st December 2023
Disability Grant: 2nd December 2023
Children’s Grant: 3rd December 2023
All other grants: From the 3rd of December 2023
January 2024:
Older Persons Grant: 4th of January 2024
Disability Grant: 5th of January 2024
Children’s Grant: 6th of January 2024
All other grants: From the 6th of January 2024
February 2024:
Older Persons Grant: 3rd February 2024
Disability Grant: 4th February 2024
Children’s Grant: 7th February 2024
All other grants: From the 7th of February 2024
March 2024:
Older Persons Grant: 3rd March 2024
Disability Grant: 4th March 2024
Children’s Grant: 7th March 2024
All other grants: From the 7th of March 2024
How do I pay SASSA into my bank account?
SASSA payments are made directly into your bank account, and cannot be made into another person’s bank account. If you don’t have a bank account, then you can choose a bank (either ABSA, FNB, Nedbank or Standard Bank) to receive a cash transfer payment. You will get a cellphone notification, and then you will be able to claim your money through the bank you have chosen. In the case that you have not made a choice, you will be able to claim your money through the Post Office. If you receive your SASSA payment through the Post Office, you will be issued a SASSA card, and will then be able to withdraw the fund from the SASSA card.
Once the money is in your account, you don’t have to withdraw it immediately, and it will stay in the account until you need it.
Grant Requirements
Care Dependency Grant:
- You need to be a South African citizen, permanent resident or refugee.
- You and the child need to be a resident of South Africa.
- The child must be under the age of 18 years.
- You need to submit a medical/assessment report that confirms permanent and severe disability.
- You and your spouse need to meet the means test requirements (excluding foster parents).
- The care-dependent child/children must not be permanently cared for in a State Institution.
Child Support Grant:
- You need to be the primary caregiver of the child/children concerned.
- You need to be a South African citizen, permanent resident or refugee.
- You and the child need to live in South Africa.
- The child/children must have been born after 31st December 1993.
- You and your spouse need to meet the means test requirements.
- The child cannot be cared for in a state institution.
- You cannot apply for more than 6 non-biological children.
Disability Grant:
- You need to be a South African citizen, permanent resident or refugee.
- You need to be a resident in South Africa.
- You need to be between 18 and 59 years old.
- You need to submit a medical/assessment report that confirms permanent and severe disability.
- Your medical assessment must not be older than 3 months at the date of your application.
- You and your spouse need to meet the means requirement test.
- You must not be maintained or cared for in a State Institution.
- You must not receive another social grant.
Foster Child Grant:
- You need to be a South African citizen, permanent resident or refugee.
- You and the child need to live in South Africa.
- The child must remain in the care of the foster parent/s.
Grant-In-Aid:
- You must receive a grant for Older Persons.
- Disability grant or a War Veteran’s grant, and need full-time attendance by another person.
- Owing to his/her physical or mental disabilities.
- Must not be cared for in an institution that receives a subsidy from the State for the care/housing of such beneficiary.
Older Persons Grant:
- You need to be a South African citizen, permanent resident or refugee.
- You and your child must live in South Africa.
- You need to be older than 60 years old.
- You cannot receive another social grant.
- You and your spouse must comply with the means test.
- You may not be maintained or cared for in a State Institution.
- You need to submit a 13 digit bar-coded identity document.
Social Relief of Distress Grant:
This grant is a temporary form of assistance for people in such dire need that they cannot meet their families basic needs. This grant is paid monthly for a maximum of 3 months and can be extended by a further 3 months in exceptional cases.
Applicants need to meet one or more of the following criteria:
- You are awaiting payment of an approved social grant.
- You have been found medically unfit to partake in remunerative work for a period of fewer than 6 months.
- The breadwinner is deceased and application is made within three months of the date of death.
- No maintenance is received from parent, child or spouse obliged in law to pay maintenance, and the proof is furnished that efforts made to obtain maintenance have been unsuccessful.
- The breadwinner of the family has been admitted to an institution funded by the state (prison, psychiatric hospital, state home for older persons, treatment centre for substance abuse or child and youth care centre).
- You have been affected by a disaster as defines in the Disaster Management Act or the Fund Raising Act, 1978.
- You are not receiving assistance from any other organization.
- Refusal of the application for social relief of distress will cause undue hardships.
War Veterans Grant:
- You need to be a South African citizen or a permanent resident.
- You need to live in South Africa.
- You need to be 60 years and older or you must be disabled.
- You need to have fought in the Second World War or the Korean War.
- You and your spouse must meet the means test requirements.
- You may not be maintained or cared for in a State Institution.
- You may not receive another social grant.
Covid-19 Relief Grant:
- You need to be a South African citizen or permanent resident.
- You need to be live in South Africa.
- You need to be over the age of 18.
- You need to be unemployed.