Millions of South Africans receive financial assistance through various types of grants provided by the state each month. If you have applied for a SASSA grant for the month of September, you may want to keep track of your application status.
The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) distributes several permanent grants to beneficiaries. These permanent grants include Older Person grants, Disability grant, War Veterans grant, Care Dependency grant, Foster Child grant, Child Support grant, Child Support grant Top Up and Grant-in-aid.
In addition to these permanent grants, the agency also distributes a temporary R350 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant to South Africans who are unemployed and do not receive any form of income.
Applications for permanent grants can be made at a Sassa office nearest to where the applicant lives. Additionally, applications for Older Person grants, Child Support grants or Foster Child grants can be submitted online.
All Sassa grant applications are completed in the presence of a Sassa official unless the application was done online.
Checking your Sassa status is crucial to ensure that you receive the benefits you are entitled to and to stay updated on any changes, updates or whether additional information is required.
Tracking Your Permanent Grant Application
When you complete a grant application, Sassa will provide the applicant with a reference number or a receipt. A grant application is considered complete after you submitted all the required documents.
Sassa urged grant applicants to keep the reference number/receipt as it is the only proof a grant application was submitted. They can use this reference number to enquire about the status of their grant application.
Grant applicants can call Sassa at 080060 10 11 or email at grantenquiries@sassa.gov.za.
If your grant application is approved by Sassa, you will receive grant payments from the date you submit your completed application. If you applied for the Foster Care grant, it will be paid from the date of the court order.
If your grant application was rejected, you must be informed in writing why your application was unsuccessful. Unsuccessful grant applicants have the right to appeal Sassa’s decision to reject the grant application.
How To Do A R350 Grant Sassa Status Check
Online
- Go to the SASSA SRD grant website
- Scroll down to ‘Application status’
- Click on ‘Click here to check online’
- Fill in the required fields
- You should then be able to see the status of your R350 grant application
- Add the Sassa WhatsApp number to your contacts: 082 046 8553.
- Open WhatsApp and send a message to the Sassa number that says “Status” followed by your ID number.
- Sassa will then provide the necessary information regarding your application status.
Should applications require additional assistance, with tracking their status, they can also contact the Sassa call centre on 0800 601 011.
What Should I Do If My Sassa Application Is Rejected?
If your SRD grant application was unsuccessful there is an opportunity for you to submit an appeal and this may result in Sassa changing your application outcome.
It is important to note that these appeal applications are no longer submitted directly to Sassa. Initially, Sassa handled the appeal applications when the grant was first introduced, but they no longer process appeals.
Instead, unsuccessful R350 grant applicants must submit a R350 grant appeal application to the Independent Tribunal For Social Assistance Appeals (ITSAA).
How To Submit Your R350 Grant Appeal
Follow these steps to submit a SRD grant appeal:
- Visit The ITSAA Website
- Enter Your Identification Number
- Enter The Cell Phone Number You Used During The Application Process
- Click Send “Pin”
- Once you receive the pin, you will be required to insert it and click “Submit”
- Select the month that you are appealing for
- Secret the drop-down arrow to choose the reason for your appeal application from the options provided
- Click “Submit” to complete the appeal application process
How SRD Grant Appeals Work
Once individuals have submitted their Sassa appeal application, the ITSAA then uses various databases to verify information provided to verify their eligibility for the grant. The databases are used to confirm personal information and income information as well.
Furthermore, applicants are advised that they will receive the outcome of their appeal applications between 60 to 90 days from when it was submitted. The decision made by the ITSAA are considered final.
How To Receive Your R350 Grant Payment
There are several different methods you can use to access your money from Sassa, these include:
- Bank Account: SRD grant beneficiaries have the option of having their grants paid directly into their bank account. This is a convenient grant payment method as beneficiaries can access their money at any time after the payment was made by Sassa.
- CashSend Services: Should beneficiaries not have a bank account, they can also receive your R350 grant through a CashSend. Beneficiaries will have to use their ID numbers and phone numbers to access their grant money. You must have a cellphone with a registered cellphone number and proof of identification.
- Retail outlets: Sassa grants are paid to selected retailers around the country. Beneficiaries can withdraw their money at any time when the retail outlet is operational. Pick n Pay, Shoprite, Boxer stores, Usave stores and Checkers all distribute social grants.
- Shoprite Group:The Shoprite Group has now made it possible for R350 grant holders to fetch their SRD grant payments at any of their 1 286 supermarkets across South Africa, which includes Checkers, USave, OK and Shoprite stores.
New SASSA Payment Requirement
SASSA has announced that some SRD grant beneficiaries will be required to undergo biometric identity verification. This forms part of the effort to ensure that money is paid to individuals who meet the eligibility criteria for the SRD grant.
Sassa will use facial recognition to verify the identity of SRD grant beneficiaries. Beneficiaries may need to have a working camera on their mobile phone to complete the facial recognition process.
The biometric identity verification applies to all applicants who received a referred SRD status as well as beneficiaries who want to update their mobile numbers will also need to undergo the biometric verification process.
