Submit Your SASSA Grant Application For November 2023

Submit Your Sassa Grant Application For November 2023. The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) administers permanent social grants designed to provide financial assistance to the low-income population. These grants are distributed monthly to help individuals avoid falling into absolute poverty.

Submit Your Sassa Grant Application For November 2023

As of now, over 18 million South Africans rely on various permanent social grants, including the Old Persons Grant, Disability Grant, Care Dependency Grant, Social Relief of Distress Grant, War Veterans Grant, Foster Child Grant, Child Support Grant, and Grant-in-aid.

Additionally, Sassa offers the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant, providing R350 per month to eligible recipients. The SRD grant, originally introduced during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic in May 2020, is temporary and set to end on March 31, 2024. In this guide, we’ll focus on how to submit an application for any of the permanent social grants for November 2023.

Eligibility Criteria for Permanent Social Grants

Before applying for a Sassa grant, it’s essential to ensure that you meet the agency’s eligibility criteria. Not every South African requires a permanent social grant, and it’s important to assess your eligibility first.

Submitting Your Social Grant Application

To initiate your social grant application, you must visit the nearest Sassa office branch. There, you will receive an application form to be completed in the presence of a Sassa official. This application process is entirely free. If you are unable to apply in person due to illness or old age, you can nominate someone to apply on your behalf.

Sassa offers the option of arranging a home visit by a Sassa official to assist with the application. The official will help complete the necessary forms and provide a receipt as proof of the application.

Supporting Documents and Reference Number

When applying for a social grant, you will need to provide supporting documents, depending on the specific grant you are applying for. The Foster Child Grant is an exception, as it is paid out based on a court order. Sassa will issue a receipt with a reference number as proof that your application is complete. It is crucial to keep this proof of application safe, as it validates your application.

Determining Eligibility for Social Grants

Sassa evaluates an applicant’s eligibility for social grants through means tests, which assess whether an applicant’s alternative sources of income or assets exceed specified thresholds. It’s important to note that being employed makes an applicant ineligible for a social grant.

The means test outcomes must reflect that the applicant has very limited sources of income or assets, based on income eligibility criteria. The income means test requirements for different grants are as follows:

• Older persons, Disability, and War Veteran’s grant: Annual income not exceeding R 92,520 for singles and R 185,040 for married applicants.
• Child support grant: Annual income not exceeding R 57,600 for singles and R 115,200 for married applicants.
• Care-dependency grant: Annual income not exceeding R 238,800 for singles and R 477,600 for married applicants.
• Foster child grant: No means test conducted.
• R350 SRD Grant: Individuals with a monthly income exceeding R624 do not qualify for the grant.

Receiving Application Feedback

Sassa typically takes a minimum of 3 months to process applications. If your application is successful, your grant payments will commence from the month of your application date. In the event that your application is rejected, Sassa will provide a written explanation for the rejection. If this occurs, you have the option to submit an application appeal within 30 days of receiving the unsuccessful status.

Sassa will then respond with feedback on your appeal within 60-90 days. For further inquiries, applicants can visit the Sassa website or contact Sassa directly on its toll-free number: 0800 601 011 for assistance and support.