A new policy announced by SASSA will grant social assistance to citizens, undergoing major changes that impact south Africa’s social grant system.
The New Cap On Income Restrictions!
With the new policy, effective August 20, 2025, SASSA will now enforce a strict limit of social assistance grants or R8076 per month for reciepients. Payments above the amount will now be deemed redundant. This policy will now allow SASSA to direct the limited resources to the maximum number of eligible users.
Nomvula Radebe, SASSA’s CEO, “We need to make sure that grants reach the truly vulnerable members of our society.” This policy is aimed to alleviate the financial restraints felt by the agency by introducing the new sustainable grant system.
What Documents Existing Grant Recipients Need to Submit!
If you’re benefiting from a SASSA grant, you must act fast. All beneficiaries are required to submit updated income documentation by August 20. This includes bank statements from the last three months, employment confirmation, and a signed declaration on total household earnings.
For the self-employed, there’s an additional layer of complexity, as they must also submit a tax assessed document confirming their income status. SASSA offices are anticipating a rush of document submissions, so they’ve expanded their hours and staffing.
Special Criteria for Consideration Susceptible to Harm!
Under the new policies, families with an enrolled dependent, including those with a disability, might be eligible for special consideration. The agency understands the socioeconomic challenges these families face for affordability and may be exempted from the rigid income cap.
Recipients of the Care Dependency Grant and the Disability Grant will be subjected to a tailored evaluation that critically assesses medical and caregiving expenses, ensuring that individuals with legitimate needs are protected from undue deprivation of support.
Differential Effects Across Grant Categories!
The income limit will impact different grant categories in different ways. Recipients of Old Age Pension will have their retirement fund depletion rates taken into consideration. For Child Support Grants, the evaluation will center on the income of the primary caregiver, whereas Foster Care Grant assessments will disregard the foster parents’ income.
SASSA states that the intention of these changes is to enhance the system, and not to diminish support provided to South Africans. The agency intends to allocate these savings to increase the amounts of the grants in subsequent budget proposals to those who are eligible.