The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) provides financial relief to individuals who require financial support living in South Africa. This relief is provided in the form of social grants.
Sassa provides social grants to individuals based on their age and personal circumstances. There are several permanent grants distributed by Sassa and one temporary grant.
Permanent grants include the Older Persons grant, Disability grant, War Veterans grant, Care Dependency grant, Foster Child grant, Child Support grant, Child Support grant Top-Up and Grant-in-aid.
Applying For A Sassa Grant
People who require one of these permanent grants distributed by Sassa can submit a social grant application. Social grant applications can be submitted at the Sassa office nearest to where the applicant lives.
To apply for a grant, applicants must complete a Sassa grant application form in the presence of a Sassa officer. The officer will conduct an interview to assess the applicant's eligibility for the grant.
In addition to the application form, applicants must provide supporting documents to substantiate their grant application. It is important to note that grant applications are considered complete only when all the required documents have been submitted to Sassa.
Sassa will only pay social grants after they are satisfied that the social grant applicant has met all the eligibility criteria for a Sassa grant.
What An ‘Application Assessed’ Sassa Status Means
When you check your Sassa status, and see that it's 'Application Assessed', it means that your application has been captured by a SASSA official and that your application will be processed.
The possible outcome for this stage of application would then be 'Application captured – Waiting for Approval'.
This essentially means that Sassa has received your grant application. It indicates that Sassa is in the process of evaluating your grant application. The process of considering your application will include verification of information provided by you including verifying your identity and financial need.
What's Next If Your Sassa Grant Is Approved
If your grant application is approved by Sassa, you will receive payments from the date of your complete application submission, unless you have applied for a foster child grant. In the case of foster child grants, payments are made from the date specified in the court order.
When Are Sassa Grants Paid?
Sassa grants are paid during the first week of the money. The grant payment agency aims to begin the payment of grants from the second day of each month.
While Sassa endeavours to pay grants from the second day of the month, this is not always possible. This is because grants are not paid on weekends or public holidays.
Sassa will distribute a grant on the first available weekday if the Sassa grant payment date falls on a weekend or public holiday.
Where Are Sassa Grants Paid?
Sassa grants are paid at participating retail outlets, the post office, and mobile cash pay points. Alternatively, grant beneficiaries can opt to have their grant payments directly deposited into their bank accounts.
Retail outlets that pay Sassa grants include Checkers, Shoprite, Pick N Pay and Boxer Stores. Beneficiaries can collect their grants during the retail store’s operating hours after it has been paid by Sassa.
A significant number of beneficiaries prefer the convenience of having their Sassa grants paid directly into their bank accounts. This eliminates the need to travel to collect their grant money, resulting in cost savings. Moreover, it saves them from the hassle of waiting in long queues to receive their funds.
Sassa provides different avenues for grant beneficiaries to switch their grant payment method, allowing you flexibility in choosing the most suitable option for you.
SRD Sassa Grant
Sassa also provides the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant. This temporary grant is provided to unemployed people living in South Africa.
More than 10 million people submitted an SRD grant application in the hope of receiving the grant. If Sassa is still in the process of evaluating an SRD grant application, beneficiaries will receive a pending SRD grant status.
What Does The ‘Pending’ SRD Grant Application Mean?
If you complete a Sassa status check and it indicates that your Sassa status is ‘pending’, it means that Sassa is in the process of evaluating your application and verifying the information provided in your application before deciding the outcome of your grant application.
