SASSA refers to the South African Social Security Agency, which is a government agency responsible for administering SASSA social grants to the most vulnerable individuals in South Africa, who are unable to support themselves financially, without an income. SASSA grants are distributed to those who meet the eligibility criteria.
SASSA introduced the Social Relief of Distress grant, the SRD or R350 grant, during the Covid-19 pandemic to provide social security benefits to South African citizens.
What A "Pending" Status Means
Many applicants of the SASSA SRD R350 grant have said that their application for the R350 grant has been stuck on "pending", leaving them confused about what this means for their SASSA application.
You can always do an SRD grant status check or a general SASSA status check. This can be done either on the SRD SASSA website, or the official SASSA website.
SASSA has revealed that if you see a "pending" status on your Social Relief of Distress grant application status, it means that your SRD R350 application has not yet been approved.
This is because SASSA is still in the process of scanning your details with third parties such as the Department of Home Affairs database which they will need to verify before you can be approved as an grant beneficiary and receive social grants.
It also takes some time for SASSA to go through millions of applications, so your SASSA status "pending" is not uncommon and may soon change.
How Long It Takes For An SRD Application To Be Approved
SASSA warns that it can take up to 90 days for your grant application to be approved so you should not expect to hear much in the first week after you submitted your application.
SASSA R350 grant beneficiaries will be paid each month as long as they still meet the qualification criteria. Each month the application will be verified to ensure that the applicant still qualifies for that particular month.
Why Your Application Was Rejected
Make sure that you meet all the eligibility requirements before submitting an application, otherwise your R350 grant application will be rejected and you won't begin receiving your grant money.
The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) conducts checks on the information you submitted on your SRD grant application form with third parties such as the department of home affairs.
If your circumstances change, for example, SASSA finds that you are now receiving an income, you will no longer qualify for a social relief grant, meaning that the agency will no longer pay you. Your R350 grant application will also be rejected if you are receiving another grant from SASSA.
You can read our complete guide on how to make a grant appeal to Sassa.
When you want to check your appeal status we are here to help you with a comprehensive guide to the Sassa appeal process.
There is also a video with details on the Sassa appeal process.
Once you have submitted your appeal to Sassa you need to make sure that you check on the status of your appeal.
What Happens If Your Application Is Approved?
Once applications are approved, and you've submitted your banking details, SASSA will request confirmation of your bank account though a secure site. This request confirmation will also be done electronically. Any applicant has the right to request confirmation that this request is from SASSA to protect themselves against possible fraud.
The turnaround time for payments after the application has been approved is up to 7 days. SASSA has however emphasised that there is no set payment date for the grant. Depending on which provider you bank with, SRD grant payments may take up to two days to reflect in your bank account.
SRD Grant Application Appeals
If your pending application ends up being rejected, SASSA will give you the opportunity to appeal the decision. An appeal is a second chance to submit an application if you believe that the reason for your rejection is inaccurate or unfair.
You have the opportunity to submit an appeal for up to 90 days from the day you receive your rejection. However, SASSA advises people to submit an appeal in the first 30 days.
There is no need to submit a new application while you wait for your current one to be processed. Avoid reapplying and submitting multiple applications as this can result in delays.
SASSA will send SMS on the outcome of your appeal to your mobile number, and hopefully you'll be well on your way to receiving social grants.
How To Find Your Payment Date
It's important to note that the special R350 grant, commonly known as the R350 grant, does not have a fixed payment date. SASSA approves applications for this grant, and beneficiaries are notified via message when their payment is available for collection.
Once your SASSA SRD status check appeal has been confirmed successful, payments will then be made from the month you initially applied. You should make sure that SASSA has your bank account details so that the grant can be paid to you directly.
To find out everything you would need to know about SASSA grant applications and your SASSA grant application status, head to our Sassa section.
