The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has been operating in South Africa since 2006. They are a government entity that distributes social grants to eligible beneficiaries on behalf of the Department of Social Development (DSD).
They offer various grants:
- Care Dependency Grant
- Child Support Grant
- Disability Grant
- Foster Child Grant
- Grant-In-Aid
- Older Persons Grant
- Social Relief of Distress Grant
- War Veterans Grant
- Covid-19 Relief Grant
SASSA Payment Dates
Payment dates depend on the type of grant. These are the published dates from August 2026 to March 2027 in the 2026/27 official payment schedule. SRD payment dates must be checked separately.
August 2026:
Older Persons Grant: 4 August
Disability Grant: 5 August
Children’s Grants: 6 August
SRD payments: check your individual approval and payment status; these do not follow one fixed ordinary-grant payment day.
September 2026:
Older Persons Grant: 2 September
Disability Grant: 3 September
Children’s Grants: 4 September
SRD payments: check your individual approval and payment status; these do not follow one fixed ordinary-grant payment day.
October 2026:
Older Persons Grant: 2 October
Disability Grant: 5 October
Children’s Grants: 6 October
SRD payments: check your individual approval and payment status; these do not follow one fixed ordinary-grant payment day.
November 2026:
Older Persons Grant: 3 November
Disability Grant: 4 November
Children’s Grants: 5 November
SRD payments: check your individual approval and payment status; these do not follow one fixed ordinary-grant payment day.
December 2026:
Older Persons Grant: 2 December
Disability Grant: 3 December
Children’s Grants: 4 December
SRD payments: check your individual approval and payment status; these do not follow one fixed ordinary-grant payment day.
January 2027:
Older Persons Grant: 5 January
Disability Grant: 6 January
Children’s Grants: 7 January
SRD payments: check your individual approval and payment status; these do not follow one fixed ordinary-grant payment day.
February 2027:
Older Persons Grant: 2 February
Disability Grant: 3 February
Children’s Grants: 4 February
SRD payments: check your individual approval and payment status; these do not follow one fixed ordinary-grant payment day.
March 2027:
Older Persons Grant: 2 March
Disability Grant: 3 March
Children’s Grants: 4 March
SRD payments: check your individual approval and payment status; these do not follow one fixed ordinary-grant payment day.
How do I pay SASSA into my bank account?
If you choose bank payment, use the banking details and verification process provided through SASSA’s official channels. The payment options available to you depend on your grant and verification status. Check with SASSA before relying on old Post Office or cash-transfer instructions.
Once the money is in your account, you don’t have to withdraw it immediately, and it will stay in the account until you need it.
Grant Requirements
Care Dependency Grant:
- You need to be a South African citizen, permanent resident or refugee.
- You and the child need to be a resident of South Africa.
- The child must be under the age of 18 years.
- You need to submit a medical/assessment report that confirms permanent and severe disability.
- You and your spouse need to meet the means test requirements (excluding foster parents).
- The care-dependent child/children must not be permanently cared for in a State Institution.
Child Support Grant:
- You need to be the primary caregiver of the child/children concerned.
- You need to be a South African citizen, permanent resident or refugee.
- You and the child need to live in South Africa.
- The child/children must be under 18 years of age.
- You and your spouse need to meet the means test requirements.
- The child cannot be cared for in a state institution.
- You cannot apply for more than 6 non-biological children.
Disability Grant:
- You need to be a South African citizen, permanent resident or refugee.
- You need to be a resident in South Africa.
- You need to be between 18 and 59 years old.
- You need to submit a medical/assessment report that confirms permanent and severe disability.
- Your medical assessment must not be older than 3 months at the date of your application.
- You and your spouse need to meet the means requirement test.
- You must not be maintained or cared for in a State Institution.
- You must not receive another social grant.
Foster Child Grant:
- You need to be a South African citizen, permanent resident or refugee.
- You and the child need to live in South Africa.
- The child must remain in the care of the foster parent/s.
Grant-In-Aid:
- You must receive a grant for Older Persons.
- Disability grant or a War Veteran’s grant, and need full-time attendance by another person.
- Owing to his/her physical or mental disabilities.
- Must not be cared for in an institution that receives a subsidy from the State for the care/housing of such beneficiary.
Older Persons Grant:
- You need to be a South African citizen, permanent resident or refugee.
- You must reside in South Africa.
- You need to be 60 years of age or older.
- You cannot receive another social grant.
- You and your spouse must comply with the means test.
- You may not be maintained or cared for in a State Institution.
- You need to submit a 13 digit bar-coded identity document.
Social Relief of Distress Grant:
This grant is a temporary form of assistance for people in such dire need that they cannot meet their families basic needs. This grant is paid monthly for a maximum of 3 months and can be extended by a further 3 months in exceptional cases.
Applicants need to meet one or more of the following criteria:
- You are awaiting payment of an approved social grant.
- You have been found medically unfit to partake in remunerative work for a period of fewer than 6 months.
- The breadwinner is deceased and application is made within three months of the date of death.
- No maintenance is received from parent, child or spouse obliged in law to pay maintenance, and the proof is furnished that efforts made to obtain maintenance have been unsuccessful.
- The breadwinner of the family has been admitted to an institution funded by the state (prison, psychiatric hospital, state home for older persons, treatment centre for substance abuse or child and youth care centre).
- You have been affected by a disaster as defines in the Disaster Management Act or the Fund Raising Act, 1978.
- You are not receiving assistance from any other organization.
- Refusal of the application for social relief of distress will cause undue hardships.
War Veterans Grant:
- You need to be a South African citizen or a permanent resident.
- You need to live in South Africa.
- You need to be 60 years and older or you must be disabled.
- You need to have fought in the Second World War or the Korean War.
- You and your spouse must meet the means test requirements.
- You may not be maintained or cared for in a State Institution.
- You may not receive another social grant.
Covid-19 Relief Grant:
- You need to be a South African citizen or permanent resident.
- You need to be live in South Africa.
- Meet the current age and other eligibility rules for the SRD grant; check SASSA’s SRD portal before applying.
- You need to be unemployed.