SASSA Application Criteria

By | August 3, 2023
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SASSA Application Criteria | The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has been operating since 2006 and is responsible for distributing social grants to more than 16 million people across the country. This government entity is one of the country’s flagship agencies aimed at combatting the hardships of poverty and unemployment in society. By distributing its various grants, SASSA hopes to eradicate poverty, promote social justice, and actively contribute to the development of the South African economy.

SASSA’s Social Assistance is income in the form of grants that are provided by the government. The SASSA social grants are:

  • Older Persons (pensioners) grant
  • Disability grant
  • War Veterans grant
  • Care Dependency Grant
  • Foster Child Grant
  • Child Support Grant
  • Grant-in-aid

What are the qualifying criteria for each grant?

To qualify for funding through SASSA, each grant has a specific list of requirements. They are as follows:

Old Persons grant:

  • Must be a South African citizen/ permanent resident/ refugee
  • Must be a resident of South Africa
  • Must be at least 60 years old
  • The spouse must comply with the means test (if the candidate is married) (read more about the SASSA Means Test here)
  • Must not be maintained/ cared for in a State Institution
  • Must not be receiving any other social grant

Apply for the Old Persons Grant here

Disability grant:

  • Must be a South African citizen/ permanent resident/ refugee
  • Must be a resident of South Africa
  • Must be 18 to 59 years old
  • Must submit proof of disability (medical/ assessment report)
  • Medical assessment must be no older than 3 months when applying for the grant
  • The spouse must comply with the means test (if the candidate is married) (read more about the SASSA Means Test here)
  • Must not be maintained/ cared for in a State Institution
  • Must not be receiving any other social grant

Apply for the Disability Grant here

War Veteran’s Grant:

  • Must be a South African citizen/ permanent resident/ refugee
  • Must be a resident of South Africa
  • Must be at least 60 years old OR must be disabled
  • Must have served in World War 2 or The Korean War
  • The spouse must comply with the means test (if the candidate is married) (read more about the SASSA Means Test here)
  • Must not be maintained/ cared for in a State Institution
  • Must not be receiving any other social grant

Apply for the War Veteran’s Grant here

Foster Child grant:

  • Foster parent(s) must be a South African citizen/ permanent resident/ refugee
  • Must be a resident of South Africa
  • Must be able to provide a court order stipulating the foster care status
  • The child must be remaining in the care of the foster parent(s)

Apply for the Foster Child Grant here

Care Dependency grant:

  • Must be a South African citizen/ permanent resident/ refugee
  • Candidate and child must be residents of South Africa
  • The child must be under 18 years old
  • The candidate must be the primary caregiver of the child(ren)
  • Must comply with the means test- this excludes foster parents (read more about the SASSA Means Test here)
  • The spouse must comply with the means test (if the candidate is married)- this excludes foster parents
  • The care-dependent child(ren) must not be maintained/ cared for in a State Institution
  • It is important to note:
    • The income of foster parents will not be taken into consideration when they apply for this grant for their foster child

Apply for the Care Dependency Grant here

Child Support grant:

  • The primary caregiver must be a South African citizen/ permanent resident/ refugee
  • Candidate and child must be residents of South Africa
  • The child must be under 18 years old
  • The candidate must be the primary caregiver of the child(ren)
  • Must comply with the means test (read more about the SASSA Means Test here)
  • The spouse must comply with the means test (if the candidate is married) (read more about the SASSA Means Test here)
  • The child(ren) must not be maintained/ cared for in a State Institution
  • It is important to note:
    • For this grant, the candidate may not apply for more than 6 non-biological children
    • One of the aims of the Child Support grant is to ensure that the children attend adequate schooling, as such, the school enrollment certificate must be produced for children between the ages of 7 and 18 years old
    • Failure to produce a school certificate/ attend school will result in the grant being denied

Apply for the Child Support Grant here

Grant-in-aid:

  • Must be a recipient of an Older Person’s grant/ War Veteran’s grant/ Disability Grant
  • Must require regular attendance by another person owing to your physical/ mental disabilities
  • Must not be maintained/ cared for in a State Institution that receives a subsidy for care/housing of such beneficiary

Apply for the Grant-in-aid here

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