SASSA grants guidelines: how to apply and who qualifies?
Being an anomaly among the developing nations, South Africa recognises the need to create an equitable society by wealth distribution. It does this by having a well-established social welfare system that offers social grants to the less fortunate members of the society. Every month there are more than 18 million SASSA grants payouts in South Africa. Read on to know more about the currently available social grants.
Source: UGC
Social grants in South Africa are guided by section 24 through to 29 of the Bills of Rights of the constitution and are directed by the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA). Are you in need of financial assistance? Here is some useful information for individuals that receive SASSA financial help. If you need one, you can find what you need here to know about the qualifying SASSA grant requirements as well as the procedure for applying for these social grants in South Africa.
Types of SASSA grants 2020
According to the Social Assistance Act 2004, there are seven types of SASSA financial help offered in the country. These include grants for:
- Child support
- Care dependency
- Foster child
- Disability
- Older persons
- War Veterans
- Grant-in-aid
- Social relief of distress
Who qualifies for a SASSA grant?
All of the social, non-refundable government financial aids are ‘means tested’. By means tested, we mean that your income and assets are evaluated, and you will be eligible for the grants if you fall below the given limit.
One of the questions most individuals seeking government financial aid always ask is how much must you earn to qualify for a SASSA grant and who qualifies for SASSA grants? SASSA evaluates the income of the applicant as well as their assets to ascertain if they fall within the income assistance threshold. The amount changes with the type of social grant, and below we have given the SASSA grants increase 2020 for each category.
What are the requirements to apply for SASSA grant?
Here are some of the prerequisites needed to qualify for the social financial help depending on the type that one is applying for.
1. Child Support Grant
How much money is a child grant? Previously the monthly SASSA payout for child support was R425, but in the 2020/2021 financial year, it increased to R445. So, who qualifies for child support grant in South Africa?
- The primary caregiver must be a South African native, permanent resident or refugee.
- Both the applicant and the child must be residing in the country, and the kid must be below 18 years of age.
- In case you are not the biological parent of the kid, you need to provide evidence that you are the primary caregiver. This can be an affidavit from a police officer, a social worker report, correspondence from a school’s head, or an affidavit from the biological parent.
- The kid or kids should live under the care of the primary caregiver who is not paid to look after them.
- The applicant should not have a monthly income that exceeds R4,000 per month or R48,000 a year if they are single. If they are married, the combined annual income should not be more than R96,000 or R8,000 per month.
- The child should not be under the care of a state institution.
- If you are an adoptive parent, you cannot apply for more than six non-biological kids unless they are legally adopted.
SASSA child grant application requirements
An applicant should present the following documents and provide the required information regarding them.
- Their 13-digit bar code smart card ID
- The child’s birth certificate (the certificate should have an ID number.)
- The applicant's proof of income: This could be a bank statement for three months, salary slips, or pension slips.
- If the applicant is unemployed, they should present the discharge certificate that was issued by their most recent employer. Alternatively, they can show their Insurance Fund (UIF) card.
- A written proof that the parents or guardians of the child have accorded them the responsibility of taking care of the child or children
- Proof that you are the child's primary caregiver
- Proof that the applicant tried to get the child's parents or guardian to pay for the child's maintenance
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2. Care Dependency Grant
Source: UGC
This type of financial aid is offered to birth parents, foster parents, or primary caregivers of children with disabilities. The payout value per month for care dependency grant in 2020 is R1,860. These requirements should be met for one to qualify for this funding:
- The applicant and the disabled child must be South African citizens, permanent residents or immigrants unless the applicant is the child's foster parent.
- Both the applicant and child must reside in South Africa at the time of applying for the funding.
- The disabled child must be below 18 years.
- The applicant's annual income should be less than R405,600 if they are married and R202,800 if they are not married.
- The applicant should legally be the child's caregiver, so one should have a court order that recognises them as a foster parent or guardian.
- The care-dependent kid(s) must not be permanently cared for in a government institution.
SASSA child grant application requirements
During the application process, the following documents should be presented:
- The child's birth certificate (the certificate should have an identification number.)
- The applicant's 13-digit bar code smart card ID
- The child's functional assessment report to evaluate the child's capabilities
- Foster parents should present a court order that qualifies them to be recognised as foster parents.
- The applicant's proof of marital status (They can present their spouse's death certificate or marriage certificate.)
- Proof of a medical or assessment report showing the kid’s permanent disability and its severity
- The applicant' proof of income
- The child's proof of income
It is important to note that you cannot benefit from a care dependency and a child support grant at the same time.
3. Foster Child Grant
The payout for Foster Child government financial aid is R1,040 per month. One has to meet the following requirements to qualify for the funding:
- As the foster guardian, you need to be a South African national, permanent resident, or refugee.
- You and the child must be residents of South Africa.
- The child must be younger than 18 years.
- You must provide official court documents indicating that legally you are the foster parent.
- No means test is needed for this financial help as the kid must remain in your care as the foster caregiver.
What do I need to apply for SASSA grant?
These are the documents that will be required during the application process:
- A 13-digit bar code smart card ID. If you are a refugee, you should provide the refugee ID.
- You must present the foster kid’s birth certificate. Alternatively, you can present their baptismal card, academic certificate, health clinic card, or a signed statement by a reputable person who knows you and the child.
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4. SASSA Disability Grant
Source: UGC
Disability Grant payout is R1,860 for the 2020/2021 financial year. To qualify for this grant, you must:
- Be either a South Africa resident or a refugee permanently living in the country.
- Be aged between 18 and 59 years.
- You should not be under the care of a state institution.
- Your minimum annual income should not be more than R78,120 if you are single and R156,240 if you are married.
- The worth of your assets should not be more than R2,230,800 if you are married and R1,115,400 if you are single.
- Have evidence that a doctor found you unfit for work due to a mental or physical disability.
During the application process, you will be required to present the following documents:
- Provide a 13-digit bar code smart card ID
- A medical report that was done within the last three months of your application date
The disability financial help can either be permanent or temporary. In case of the temporary that is valid for 6 to 12 months, you need to re-apply if it expires before you have fully recovered to return to work.
5. SASSA old age Grant (old-age pension)
Source: UGC
How much is the SASSA grant for pensioners? The highest payout for SASSA pension financial aid is R1,860, but if one is over 75 years old, the value is higher. So, who qualifies for a SASSA pension? These are the features that would be used to determine who qualifies for old age pension in South Africa.
- Applicants need to be citizens or permanent residents of South Africa.
- Applicant must be 60 years or older.
- The applicant must not be maintained in a state institution.
- The applicant must not be a recipient of any other SASSA monetary help.
- The applicant's annual income should be less than R82,400 if they are single and R 164,880 if they are married.
- The worth of the applicant's assets should not be more than R1,174,800 if they are single and R2,349,600 if they are married.
SASSA old age pension application requirements
During the application process, the applicant should present the following documents:
- A 13-digit barcoded smart Identification card
- Proof of marital status
- Proof of assets and their valuation
- Proof of income
- Proof of address
- Unemployed applicants should present a discharge letter form the most recent employer or the 'blue book'
If you are fussing about how to apply for SASSA pension, the process is not any different from the other grants. Ensuring that you present the required documents and meeting the stipulated requirements could increase your chances of qualifying.
6. War Veterans Grant
The highest payout for this SASSA financial aid is R1,880 every month. To qualify for War Veterans Grant, the applicant:
- Must be a South African national or a permanent resident.
- Must be aged 60 years and above or disabled.
- Must have served in the Second World War or the Korean War.
- Must not be cared for in a public facility.
- Must not be a recipient of any other social grants.
- Should have an income of less than R78,120 per month if they are single and R156,240 if they are married.
- The value of their assets should not be more than R1,115,400 if they are single and R2,230,800 if they are married.
The following documents should be presented during application:
- Provide a 13-digit code smart ID card
- Proof of war service
- Medical assessment report to prove that the applicant cannot work if they are below 60 years
- Proof of marital status
7. Grant-in-aid
Grant in aid is a form of social grant offered to individuals (war veterans, older people, or people with disabilities) who cannot take care of themselves. The aim is to allow one to pay a full-time caregiver to look after them. The value of this financial help is R420 per month. To qualify, the applicant:
- Must be a South African citizen or permanently residing in the country as a refugee and receives a disability financial aid, old age pension, or war veteran grant. Also, the applicants should need 24/7 attendance by another individual due to their mental or physical incapabilities.
- Must be assessed by a medical practitioner to confirm that they cannot take care of themselves.
- Must not be cared for in a government facility or institution whose services are subsidized by the state.
During the application, the applicant should present the following documents:
- A bar-coded South African Identification Document
- A medical assessment report
- Proof of marital status
Also, the South African government offers temporary financial assistance known as Social Relief of Distress to individuals who desperately require material aid and cannot attend to even the most basic needs for themselves or their families. This aid is given every month for a maximum of 3 months, but in exceptional cases, extensions can be granted. Applicants need to be citizens or permanent residents in the country that:
- Are waiting for any of the relevant government financial assistance above to be approved.
- Are medically incapable of undertaking payable employment for less than six months or have been affected by a disaster.
- Have been left unattended by a deceased breadwinner, or physically or mentally incapable breadwinner admitted in a government-funded institution.
- Do not receive maintenance from persons legally required to do so and can prove that trying to obtain such assistant has not been successful. Also, they do not receive aid from any organization.
How to apply for SASSA grants
Source: UGC
Now that you understand the different social financial assistance offered by the South African government, how do I apply for a SASSA grant? Here is the procedure for applying for any of the above SASSA financial aids:
- Visit the nearest SASSA branch office to apply for a social grant. In case you are weak, sick, or too old to physically go, you can send a family member or a friend with a letter authorizing the application. Alternatively, you can request a SASSA official through a call to conduct a home visit.
- The application process involves filling in the SASSA application form in the presence of an officer from the department. It is essential to ensure that the information that you provide on the SASSA application forms is legitimate.
- The SASSA official will finish registering you for the financial assistance and offer you a receipt. which you need to keep as evidence of the application. You do not have to pay a dime for this process as it is free of charge.
- In case your request is unsuccessful, SASSA must write a letter explaining its decision.
- Individuals have the right to ask SASSA to review its decision if they feel it is unfair. Please note that this request has to be done within 90 days after receiving the application rejection notification. If one is still not given financial aid, they can appeal to the Minister of Social Development.
- All applicants of social grants must have proof of identity. In case you do not have the 13-digit bar code ID card or a birth certificate for the kids, you need to contact SASSA to know which substitute documents can be used for the same purpose.
- Once your application is successful, you will be issued a SASSA card as well as a bank account where the cash will be deposited every month. The card offered is linked to MasterCard; hence, you can use it to make purchases, withdraw funds, as well as other transactions without incurring additional costs.
SASSA website
If you qualify for the social financial aid, you could check out the different payment options that the department has highlighted on sassa.gov.za. The payment options have outlined the charges that an applicant will incur when transacting the funds and the various methods on how to check SASSA balance.
SASSA grant payment dates
According to the South African Social Security Agency, from May 2020 Disability and Older Persons Grants will be paid from the 4th day of the month. All other grants will be paid from the 6th of every month. The changes were made in order to prevent the Covid-19 spread.
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With the fine details above, you should be well equipped with information on how to apply and who qualifies for SASSA grants. Keep checking SASSA grants news for latest developments, and for more SASSA grant inquiries, contact the institution using their hotline 0800 601 011.
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Source: Briefly News