In this blog post, we will delve into the eligibility criteria for Sassa grants. The Sassa eligibility for these grants is based on factors such as age, income, disability, and dependency. Income thresholds are typically considered to determine financial need.

Below is the list of the general criteria every beneficiary must fall under before categorizing into the othe grant sectors.

• The applicant must be a South African citizen, permanent resident, or refugee.
• The applicant and child must be resident in South Africa.
• Must not be less than 60 years old.
• The applicant must not receive another social grant for him or herself.
• The applicant and spouse must comply with the means test.
• The applicant must not be maintained or cared for in a State Institution.
• The applicant must submit a 13-digit bar-coded identity document.

SASSA provides grants and allowances to categories of people vulnerable to poverty and in need of state support to improve their standard of living. The following are the types of grants that SASSA offers :

• Child support grants
• Foster child grant
• Care dependency grant
• Disability grant
• Grant in Aid
• Older person’s grant
• War veteran’s grants
• Social relief of distress grant
• COVID-19 Social relief of Distress grant

Below are the specific Grant Criteria:

Older Persons Grant:

• Age: 60 years or older.
• No other social grant.
• Not cared for in a state institution.
• Income and asset limits apply.

Disability Grant:

• Age: 18 to 59 years.
• Not cared for in a state institution.
• Medical assessment confirming disability.
• Income and asset limits apply.

Child Support Grant:

• Primary caregiver of a child under 18.
• The child and caregiver live in South Africa.
• Income and asset limits apply.

Grant in Aid:

• Requires proof of needing full-time care due to disability or frailty.
• No specific age requirement.
• Income and asset limits apply.

You can apply for the child support grant by filling in an application form at your nearest SASSA Office or counter service point of a Regional Office. The application is free.

Your application form will be completed in the presence of an officer of SASSA. When your application is completed, you’ll be given a receipt. The receipt must be kept as proof of your application.

You’ll also need to show certain documents and provide some information, including:

• your South African identity document (ID), which must be bar-coded,
• the child’s birth certificate, which must have an ID number, 
• your salary slip, bank statements for 3 months, or pension slips, and any other proof of income,
• if you’re unemployed, your Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) card – “blue book” – or a discharge certificate from your previous employer,
• if you’re not the child’s parent or guardian, a written note of permission from the parent or guardian that you should take care of the child,
• if you’re not the child’s parent or guardian, information about how you’ve tried to get the parents to pay maintenance,
• information that shows that you’re the child’s primary caregiver.

When you make the application, you should say how you’d like the money to be paid. The money can be paid out in cash on specific days at a pay point, or the money can be paid electronically into your bank account.

Remember that normal bank charges apply to any money going in and out of your bank account. You can decide to change the payment method at any time by filling in a form, but the change will only happen a month later.