What You Need To Do To Apply For Sassa Grants In August 2023.Social grants play a vital role in safeguarding the well-being of South Africans who lack alternative sources of income, enabling them to mitigate the impacts of poverty. Currently, there are over 18 million individuals who rely on permanent social grants.
What You Need To Do To Apply For Sassa Grants In August 2023
The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) is responsible for administering these social grants, which encompass child support grants, older persons grants, disability grants, war veterans grants, care dependency grants, grants in aid, and foster child grants.Sassa also oversees the temporary Social Relief of Distress grant, placing significant emphasis on verifying applicants’ eligibility before processing their applications.
Determining Eligibility for a Social Grant with Sassa
To assess eligibility, Sassa conducts means tests to determine if an applicant’s alternative income or assets exceed the specified threshold. It’s important to note that being employed does not automatically disqualify an applicant from receiving a social grant.
However, the outcome of the means test conducted by Sassa must demonstrate that the applicant possesses limited income sources or assets, based on the following income eligibility criteria:
- Older persons, Disability, and War Veteran’s grants: Single individuals must not earn more than R92,520 per year (R7,710 per month). If married, the combined income should not exceed R185,040 per year (R15,420 per month).
- Child support grant: Single individuals must not earn more than R57,600 per year (R4,800 per month). If married, the combined income should not exceed R115,200 per year (R9,600 per month).
- Care-dependency grant: Single individuals must not earn more than R238,800 per year (R19,900 per month). If married, the combined income should not exceed R477,600 per year (R39,800 per month).
- Foster child grant: No means test is conducted.
- R350 SRD Grant: Individuals with a monthly income exceeding R624 will not qualify for the grant.
How to Apply for a Sassa Grant
If you meet the criteria for a permanent social grant, you can submit your application at the nearest Sassa office branch. Alternatively, if you are unable to apply in person due to illness or old age, you can nominate someone to apply on your behalf.
Applicants also have the option to request a home visit from a Sassa official to assist with the grant application if they are unable to apply themselves. The Sassa official will help complete the application forms and provide a receipt as proof of application.
Sassa typically takes up to three months to process social grant applications. If the application is successful, the first payment will be made from the date of submission.In the event of an unsuccessful application, Sassa will provide written reasons for the rejection. In such cases, applicants have 90 days from notification to lodge an appeal. For more information on Sassa grants, including the R350 grant, please refer to our dedicated Sassa section.
