Grant guides
SASSA Grants
The social grants available in South Africa, who each one is meant for, and how to work out which applies to your situation.
Grant Assist SA provides independent information. We cannot tell you whether you qualify, and we cannot approve or process an application. Only SASSA decides that.
Applications happen at SASSA
Every grant on this page is applied for through SASSA, either at an office or on the official service, depending on the grant. Nothing is applied for here, and no agent needs to do it for you.
Opens the official government website in a new tab. Applying is free.
Nobody can sell you a grant
Applying costs nothing. There is no fee for a form, no fee to be added to a list, and no agent who can get an application approved that would otherwise be declined. Whether you qualify is decided by SASSA against rules that apply to everyone.
Never pay anyone to apply for a grant on your behalf, and never hand over your ID number, banking details or one-time password to someone who offers to help you get one.
How to work out which grant applies
Grants are organised around a situation rather than a category, so the quickest way in is to start with your own.
If you are past the qualifying age, the older person's grant is the one to look at. If a physical or mental disability affects your ability to work, the disability grant applies, and it involves a medical assessment. If you are a veteran who served, the war veterans grant covers that specific case.
If you look after a child, there are three separate grants and the difference between them matters, because applying for the wrong one wastes months. They are compared below.
If you already receive a grant and you need another person to care for you full time, grant-in-aid is an addition to the grant you already have rather than a grant of its own. People miss it for exactly that reason.
If you have no income at all and need help immediately, social relief of distress covers short-term crisis rather than a permanent situation.
Every one of these has age, residence, income and asset requirements attached, and those change. The guides describe what is assessed; the official service holds the current numbers.
The three child grants, and how they differ
This is the distinction people get wrong most often. All three involve caring for a child, and they are not interchangeable.
For the primary caregiver of a child, meaning the person who actually looks after the child day to day. That person does not have to be the parent. It is means tested against the caregiver's income.
For a foster parent caring for a child placed with them by a court. The court order is what defines this grant, not the caring arrangement itself.
For the caregiver of a child with a severe disability who needs permanent care or support. It involves a medical assessment of the child.
Applying for the wrong one of these can cost months. If a court placed the child with you it is the foster grant, if the child needs permanent care because of a disability it is care dependency, and otherwise it is child support.
How applying generally works
- Work out which grant fits your situation, using the guides on this page.
- Check the current requirements for that grant on the official SASSA service.
- Gather the documents that grant asks for, including anything a medical or court process requires.
- Apply through SASSA, at an office or on the official service depending on the grant.
- Keep any reference you are given, and check the application status on the official service.
What is usually needed
The exact list differs by grant and changes over time. Confirm it on the official service before you travel to an office, rather than after.
- Your South African ID document
- Proof of your income and assets, since most grants are means tested
- Proof of residence
- A medical assessment, for the disability and care dependency grants
- A court order, for the foster child grant
- The child's birth certificate, for any of the child grants
- Marriage or spouse documents, where they apply
What if none of these fit?
Not every hardship maps onto a grant. A few things worth knowing before you decide there is nothing:
Your local SASSA office can tell you what you may qualify for. That conversation is free, and it is more reliable than anything a third party will tell you about your own case.
- Social relief of distress covers short-term crisis rather than an ongoing situation
- Grant-in-aid is an addition to a grant you already receive, so it is easy to overlook
- A child grant follows whoever actually cares for the child, which is not always the parent
- A disability that affects your ability to work is assessed medically, not by how it looks
- Requirements change, so a decline in the past does not settle the question forever
If an application is declined
A decline comes with a reason, and the reason decides what you can do about it.
Appeals are free, and the route differs between SRD and every other grant. Our appeal guide explains which one applies to you.
- Read the exact reason given on the official service.
- Check whether it points at a record you can correct, such as details held at Home Affairs.
- Confirm whether an appeal or a reconsideration is available for that grant.
- Lodge it within the period the official service states.
- Keep any proof that supports your position.
Frequently asked questions
Can Grant Assist SA tell me if I qualify?
No. We explain what each grant assesses, but eligibility is decided by SASSA against your own circumstances and records. Anyone who guarantees you an outcome is not being honest with you.
Can I receive more than one grant?
Generally you cannot receive two grants for yourself at the same time. Grant-in-aid is the main exception, because it is an addition to a grant you already receive rather than a second grant.
What is the difference between the child support and foster child grants?
The foster child grant requires a court order placing the child with you. The child support grant follows whoever is the primary caregiver, with no court order involved.
Does applying cost anything?
No. Applying is free, and no agent can improve your chances.
How much is each grant?
We do not publish amounts, because they change. The current amounts are on the official SASSA website.
Can someone apply on my behalf?
There are procedures for applying through a representative where someone genuinely cannot apply themselves. That is arranged through SASSA, not through a paid agent.
How long does an application take?
We do not publish a timeframe. Nobody outside SASSA can tell you, and a confident number from a third party is a warning sign.
What SASSA handles
Use official SASSA channels, not this website and not any third party, for:
- Applying for any grant
- Current amounts, age limits and income requirements
- The documents a specific grant requires
- The status of an application
- Appeals and reconsiderations
These are the official government destinations. Check the address in your browser before entering anything.
How we handle grant information
No amounts or thresholds
Grant values, age limits and income tests change. We describe what a grant assesses and send you to SASSA for the current figures.
No eligibility promises
We cannot tell you whether you qualify, and we do not imply that we can.
Routing, not restating
This page exists to get you to the right guide. The detail lives in the guide for each grant.