The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) is a national agency of the South African Government created in April 2005.

SASSA was created to administer the application, approval and payment of social grants in South Africa.

It was also designed to reallocate the function of social security from South Africa’s provinces to the national sphere of government and reports to the Ministry of Social Development.

In February this year the minister of finance Mr Pravin Gordhan  added R11,5 billion for social grants over the next three years, taking into account projected increases in the cost of living.

Here are the qualifying Requirements for Social Grants

Grant for Older Persons

The applicant:

• must be a South African citizen; permanent resident or refugee
• must be resident in South Africa;
• Must be 60 years or older
• and spouse must comply with the means test;
• must not be maintained or cared for in a State Institution;
• must not be in receipt of another social grant for him/ herself;
• must submit a 13-digit bar coded identity document or s or the smart ID card.

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Child Support Grant

• the primary care giver must be a South African citizen, permanent resident or refugee;
• both the applicant and the child must reside in South Africa;
• the child must be 18 years of age or younger;
• must provide a birth certificate for the child;
• must provide a 13 digit bar coded identity document for the applicant;
• applicant must be the primary care giver of the child/children concerned;
• the child/children must have been born after 31 December 1993;
• the applicant and spouse must meet the requirements of the means test;
• cannot apply for more than six non biological children
• Child can not be cared for in State institution.
• It should be noted that one of the intentions of the child support grant is to

Disability Grant

• must be a South African citizen; permanent resident or refugee;
• must be resident in South Africa;
• must be 18 to 59 years of age;
• must submit a medical / assessment report confirming disability;
• Medical assessment must not be older than 3 months at date of application.

• and spouse meet the requirements of the means test;
• must not be maintained or cared for in a Child Grants

Foster Child Grant

• the applicant and child must be resident in South Africa;
• must provide a court order indicating foster care status;
• the foster parent must be a South African citizen, permanent resident or refugee.
• Child must remain in the care of the foster parent (s)
• foster parent must provide a 13-digit bar coded identity document; the smart ID card
• must provide a birth certificate for the foster child Care Dependency Grant
• The applicant must be a South African citizen, permanent resident or refugee;
• the applicant and child must be resident in South Africa;
• child must be under the age of 18 years;
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• must submit a medical / assessment report confirming the child’s permanent, severe disability;
• applicant and spouse must meet requirements of the means test (except for foster parents);
• the care-dependent child/children must not be permanently cared for in a State ensure that children attend and complete schooling. It is therefore a requirement that a school attendance certificate be produced for children aged between 7 and 18 years. However, failure to produce this certificate or failure to attend school will not result in the refusal to pay their child support grant.