Question: If I get approved in March 2023 for the R350 grant, will I be paid in April?
Answer: Currently it is not certain that you may be paid in April if you are approved in March. However, looking at what was done in the past those who were approved where received the amount due them for the date of approval to closure.

Question: Will the R350 grant deadline be extended again this year to 2024?
Answer: There have been no official communications to support an extension of the social relief of distress programme. However, sassa has expressed interest in following up on basic income support for all who are below the poverty line in the country to help meet their needs.

Question: What are the requirements and how do I meet them in order to be approved?
Answer: They are that you need to be a person of insufficient means, a South African citizen staying in the country, registered on the Department of Home Affairs database with a smart id card number, between the ages of 18 and 60, and not a resident in a government-funded or subsidised institution and finally not unreasonably refuse to accept employment or educational opportunities.

Question: Do the answers I give to the questions when applying for a grant affect my approval or not?
Answer: Yes, it does affect your approval. The questions are part of what is called validating insufficient means test. This is done to know if your current employment status and pick your biodata. If your answers indicate that you are receiving an income, you will be disapproved.

Question: What are some of the questions asked during the process?
Answer: Some of the questions asked are your surname, name, id number, cellphone number, employment history (when last you had a job) and others. This helps them determine if you have been receiving some income and how much.

Question: What checks are done on my submitted application before approval or rejection?
Answer: Your bio data submitted is run through a test. This test is called the verification of insufficient means. Once you fail this test you are disapproved and the reason for failing this test is given to you in your application status. This test consists of checks against databases that may indicate income or alternative financial assistance; and verification of insufficient means with banks. Here your bank balance is checked to make sure it meets the income threshold. The current threshold is set at R350. All bank accounts must have a balance below R350.

Question: I have more than one bank account, will all of them be checked too?
Answer: Yes, all your bank accounts that are linked by your id number will be checked. If a person has more than one bank account, they will have been deemed to have passed the checks if all the accounts have less than R350 in each of them as at the time of checks.

I receive money of more than R350 but less than R500 every month, can I still apply for funding? Yes, you can but you will not get approved for payments to be made to you. This is because the income threshold set by the agency is currently at R350. The maximum SASSA expects you the beneficiary be receiving a month from other sources is not to exceed the threshold they have set for you.

If it’s been more than 90 days since when I was disapproved, what do I do? Those who fall into this category will have to send in a new application for SASSA to peruse. In this case, make sure that you meet all the requirements and have the reason for your last disapproval solved for you.

I don’t have a cellphone currently, can I still apply for the srd grant? You need a phone that is active to apply for the srd grant. This is where they can reach you to provide you with feedback on the status of your application.

Can I appeal for R350 grant payments if I am disapproved? Yes, you can appeal your disapproval from the dsd. However, your appeal must be done no later than 90 days from the day of disapproval. It’s best to send your appeal within 30 days of receiving the disapproval so that it can be worked on quicker for you.

How long will it take to receive a decision from the dsd? 60 to 90 days from the day of receipt of your appeal. The Independent Tribunal will reassess the decision of SASSA against the available information at its disposal. They will then finalise the appeal within 60 – 90 days from the date on which the appeal was received and inform the appellant electronically of the outcome of the appeal and the reasons thereof.

I applied for someone and the person was disapproved. Can I still apply for myself? Yes you can apply as long as you do not use the same mobile phone number and id card number for your application. Your application should go through just fine. However, if you are still unsure you can contact sassa on 0800 601 011

How to Apply for SASSA R350 Grant

  1. Visit the srd website at srd.sassa.gov.za
  2. Scroll down to how do I apply for this srd grant
  3. Select APPLY ONLINE
  4. Enter the details requested and follow through to the end