Sassa distributes over 18 million permanent social grants monthly, including the Older Persons pension grant, Disability grant, War Veterans grant, Care Dependency grant, Foster Child grant, Child Support grant, Child Support grant Top-Up, and the Grant-in-Aid.
General Eligibility Requirements for Sassa Grants
While each grant has its own qualifying criteria, some general requirements apply to most Sassa grants.
Applicants must be South African citizens, permanent residents, or refugees, and must reside within South Africa.
Most grants are subject to a means test, which assesses an applicant’s income and assets. This test can determine whether you qualify for the grant and how much you’ll receive.
Applicants usually cannot receive more than one social grant for themselves and cannot be cared for in a state-funded institution.
Older Person’s Grant Requirements
To qualify for the Older Person’s Grant, applicants must be 60 years or older and be South African citizens, permanent residents, or refugees residing in South Africa.
They must not be receiving another grant for themselves, must pass the means test, and must not be in a state-funded institution.
Child Support Grant
This grant requires the applicant to be the child’s primary caregiver and either a South African citizen, permanent resident, or refugee residing with the child in South Africa.
The child must be under 18 years of age. The applicant and their spouse must meet the means test. No more than six non-biological children can be claimed by a single applicant. Children in state care are not eligible.
Foster Child Grant
Foster parents must be South African citizens, permanent residents, or refugees residing with the child in South Africa. The child must be legally placed in their care and remain in their custody throughout the grant period.
Disability Grant
Applicants must be between 18 and 59 years old and must reside in South Africa. They must be South African citizens, permanent residents, or refugees, and submit a medical assessment report (not older than three months) confirming the nature and impact of their disability.
They must also meet the means test requirements and not receive another grant or live in a state institution.
Care Dependency Grant
This grant is for children under 18 who have a permanent, severe disability confirmed by a medical assessment. Both the applicant and the child must be South African citizens, permanent residents, or refugees living in South Africa.
Applicants and their spouses must meet the means test, except in cases involving foster parents, whose income is excluded. The child cannot be cared for in a state institution.
Grant-in-Aid
To receive the Grant-in-Aid, an applicant must already be receiving the Older Person’s, Disability, or War Veterans Grant. They must require full-time care due to physical or mental disability and must not be housed in a state-subsidised institution.
This grant cannot be awarded independently—it is only an add-on to an existing grant and will lapse if the main grant ends.
Applying for Sassa Grants in May 2025
If you meet the eligibility criteria for any of the permanent Sassa grants listed above, you are encouraged to apply for a May 2025 grant payment.
