All social grants in the country are administered by the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa). This includes children support grants older persons grants, disability grants, war veterans grants, care dependency grants, grants in aid, foster child grants as well as the special R350 SRD grant.
In order to qualify for any of the above-mentioned social grants, applicants have to pass the Sassa means test. A means test is used by the Sassa to determine whether or not an applicant qualifies for financial assistance.
When conducting the means test, the agency will evaluate the income and assets of the applicant in order to determine that the person's income and assets are below an amount specified by the agency.
So, can you get a Sassa grant while employed?
Having a job does not automatically disqualify someone from receiving a Sassa grant, as the grant eligibility is assessed based on the individual's total income and assets.
However, it is important to note that Sassa grants are typically intended for individuals and households with limited financial means and who meet the specific criteria for each grant type.
These are the income means test requirements:
- Older persons, Disability, and War Veteran’s grant: Not earn more than R 92 520 a year (R7 710 a month) if you’re single. If you are married, your combined income shouldn’t be above R185 040 a year (R15 420 a month).
- Child support grant: Not earn more than R57 600 a year (R4 800 a month) if you’re single. If you are married, your combined income shouldn’t be above R115 200 a year (R9 600 a month).
- Care-dependency grant: Not earn more than R 238 800 a year (R19 900 a month) if you’re single. If you are married, your combined income shouldn’t be above R477 600 a year (R39 800 a month).
- Foster child grant: No Means Test Conducted.
- R350 SRD Grant: Individuals with a monthly income of more than R624 a month will not qualify for the grant.
How to apply for a Sassa grant
If you qualify for a permanent social grant, you should apply at the Sassa office nearest to where you live. However, 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.
You can also arrange for a home visit, where a Sassa official will visit your home to assist with the applications process as application forms must be completed in the presence of a Sassa officer.
Sassa has noted it may take up to 3 months to process grant applications. However, If your grant is approved, you'll be paid from the date on which you applied.
If your application is rejected, you'll get a letter explaining why it has been refused and how you can appeal within 90 days of being notified.
How to apply for a SRD grant
- Visit the Sassa SRD website
- Scroll to the 'How do I apply for this SRD Grant' section
- Click on the yellow bar that says 'click here to apply online'
- Enter your mobile number
- Click "send sms"
- Then enter the one-time pin that Sassa has sent to the number
- Continue the application process by filling in the steps required by Sassa
In order to have their SRD grant application considered, an applicant must grant consent for Sassa to verify their identity, residency, income or social security benefits.
Applicants are encouraged to only submit one application instead of multiple applications across the various platforms. Confirmation will be received as soon as the application has been successfully submitted.
Sassa has to then approve or reject all SRD grant applications received before the 15th of each month. Beneficiaries will then receive an SMS informing them of whether they've been approved for the Social Relief of Distress grant or not.
To find out more about Sassa grants, including the R350 grant, head to our Sassa section.
