SASSA Grant Increase 2026: New Amounts, Dates and What Changes for You

What Are the New SASSA Grant Amounts for 2026?

If you receive a permanent SASSA grant, your payment increased from 1 April 2026. The Older Persons Grant now pays R2,400 a month for people aged 60 to 74, and R2,420 for those aged 75 and older. The Disability Grant and Care Dependency Grant also moved to R2,400, while the War Veterans Grant rose to R2,420.

The Child Support Grant increased by R20 to R580, the Grant-in-Aid to R580, and the Foster Care Grant to R1,295. The Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant stays at R370. These figures come from the 2026 Budget Review released by National Treasury on 25 February 2026. Your new amount reflects automatically, so you do not need to reapply.

The Full 2026 SASSA Grant Increase Table

Here is every confirmed change for the 2026/27 financial year, effective from the April payment cycle.

Note that some budget documents list the Foster Care Grant at R1,290 with a further adjustment planned later in the year. If you receive this grant, check your payment statement to confirm the exact amount reflected in your account.

Why the Increase Is Smaller This Year

You may notice this year’s rise is thinner than previous years, and there is a reason for it. The increases were pegged to inflation, which settled at roughly 3.2% for 2025, one of the lowest rates South Africa has recorded in decades. When prices rise slowly, grant adjustments follow. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana confirmed the roughly 3.4% average when he delivered the Budget Speech in Parliament, which works out to about R85 extra for the main pension-linked grants and R20 for the Child Support Grant.

Low inflation is good news for the wider economy because everyday goods cost less than they would in a high-inflation year. For beneficiaries who rely on a grant as their only income, though, a smaller increase still stretches a tight budget even further.

What Happened to the SRD R370 Grant?

The SRD grant did not increase and remains at R370 a month. National Treasury allocated an additional R36.4 billion to keep SRD payments running until 31 March 2027, so the grant is not disappearing. President Cyril Ramaphosa has confirmed the SRD will be redesigned into a permanent livelihoods grant, moving it away from its original temporary Covid-era design. The shape of that new grant is expected to take form over the coming months. If you receive the SRD grant, keep your banking and contact details current so nothing interrupts your payments during the transition. You can apply for or manage the SRD grant here.

Could There Be a Second Increase in October?

There is talk of a possible mid-year top-up. In some years the National Treasury approves a small interim adjustment in October, usually around R10 for the older persons grants. Nothing has been confirmed for October 2026 yet.

Adding pressure to the debate, the Department of Social Development handed back roughly R4.8 billion in unspent grant funds this year, which has prompted questions in Parliament about whether more could be paid out to pensioners. We will update this page if an official announcement is made.

Tighter Checks: Biometric Verification and Reviews

Alongside the increases, SASSA is tightening how it verifies beneficiaries. By December 2025 the agency had checked the bank accounts of about six million recipients and credit records of eight million more.

These checks flagged 291,581 beneficiaries for review, led to grant amounts being adjusted for 8,599 disability and old-age recipients under the sliding scale, and resulted in 34,661 grants being cancelled. New applicants now go through biometric verification to confirm identity.

What this means for you is simple. Make sure your details on the SASSA system are accurate and up to date, and be ready to complete any review or life certification request when SASSA asks. If your grant amount looks wrong after April, check your status online before assuming there is a problem, since verification results and the income sliding scale can affect your final figure.

How to Make Sure You Get the Correct Amount

You do not need to do anything to receive the increase, as it applies automatically to approved grants from the April cycle. Still, a few checks help avoid surprises at the till or ATM:

• Confirm your banking details are correct on the SASSA portal. You can update your banking details here.
• Keep your phone number current so you receive payment notifications. Here is how to change your phone number.
• Understand the income and asset limits that apply to your grant. Read the SASSA means test explained.
• Not sure which grant fits your situation? See the full list of SASSA grant types.

The Bottom Line

The 2026 grant increases are modest, but for millions of households every rand counts. Your permanent grant went up from April, the SRD is secured through March 2027 and set for a bigger overhaul, and SASSA’s verification drive means keeping your records clean matters more than ever. Bookmark this page and check back, because we update it the moment the government confirms any mid-year change.

This article is for information only and is not affiliated with SASSA or any government body. For official queries, contact SASSA on the toll-free line 0800 60 10 11 or visit sassa.gov.za.