SASSA beneficiaries are still waiting for the official April 2026 payment dates to be confirmed, but the agency has assured recipients that grants will be paid as normal once the schedule is approved.

At the same time, SASSA says its ongoing grant review process is helping prevent irregular payments and is saving the government about R44 million a month.

Last month,  the agency says its intensified social grant review process has saved the government approximately R44 million per month, translating to about R0.5 billion annually, as it tightens controls to ensure that social assistance reaches only eligible beneficiaries.

SASSA CEO Themba Matlou said the review process, introduced at the start of the 2025/2026 financial year, is aimed at strengthening the effectiveness, reliability and integrity of the social assistance system, while guarding against wasteful expenditure in a constrained fiscal environment.

“The social grant review process is an important step not only to safeguard the integrity of the social assistance programme but also to ensure that public funds are directed to those who need them most, including reducing the level of fraud and misuse of public funds,” Matlou said.

As part of efforts to modernise the system and ease pressure at local offices, SASSA has rolled out compulsory biometric enrolment for all new grant applications, implemented life certification for identified beneficiaries, and introduced a self-service portal that allows beneficiaries to complete life certification remotely through e-Life Certification.

“Going forward, SASSA will progressively make the social grant review process available through self-service platforms to improve accessibility, efficiency, and convenience for beneficiaries,” Matlou said.

SASSA pays grants in phases each month, starting with older persons, then disability grants, and finally children’s and other support grants. The system is designed to reduce overcrowding at ATMs, retailers and pay points, which can place vulnerable beneficiaries at risk.

The SRD R370 grant works differently, with payment dates issued individually after each application is verified. These payments usually take place later in the month.

Based on the previous month’s payment trends, the expected April 2026 payment dates are as follows, although these have not yet been officially confirmed:

Older Persons Grant: Thursday, 2 April 2026
Disability Grant: Friday, 3 April 2026
Child Support, Foster Child, Care Dependency, War Veterans and Grant-in-Aid: Monday, 6 April 2026
SRD R370 Grant: Individual payment dates — usually later in April, check online

Meanwhile, the National Treasury has confirmed that most social grants will increase in April, while the SRD grant remains unchanged.

The grant increases are as follows:

• Old age grant will increase from R2 315 to R2 400.
• War veterans grant will increase from R2 335 to R2 420.
• Disability grant will go up from R2 315 to R2 400.
• Foster care grant rises from R1 250 to R1 295.
• Care dependency grant will increase from R2 315 to R2 400.
• Child support grant will go up from R560 to R580.
• The grant-in-aid will increase from R560 to R580.

The SRD grant will remain at R370.

Also read: Deadly new school trend parents need to know about

Do you have more information about the story?

Please send us an email to bennittb@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.

For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East

For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram