What Is SASSA Means Test? Income & Asset Evaluation

South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) provides various grants to individuals, children, and families facing financial struggles. But how do you know whether you are eligible for the grant or not? This is where the SASSA Means Test comes into the picture.

Means Test is a process taken by the SASSA to determine if a person or family qualify for financial assistance or not. If you are applying for the SASSA SRD grant, then you will have to go through the SASSA Means Test.

As SASSA offers various types of social grants, each grant has different criteria for its Means Test to evaluate the financial eligibility of individuals applying for the specific grant. For example, older person grants, disability grants, and war veteran’s grants are subject to be paid on a sliding scale, the more private income you have, the smaller grant money will be provided by the SASSA.

For married couples, the Means Test considers their combined income and assets, regardless of their marital property regime (in the community of property or out of the community). In simpler terms, both spouses’ financial situation is assessed together. On the other hand, for unmarried applicants, only their income and assets are evaluated.

So, if you have no idea what this is, and how to pass it, this article is going to help you with everything about the SASSA SRD Means Test.

Income Threshold for All SASSA Grants

As we have already talked about above, SASSA offers various grants to help financially struggling individuals and families. So, each SASSA grant has a different income threshold. Below we have shared the maximum income thresholds for all social grants offered by the SASSA:

Old Age, Disability, Grant-in-Aid, and War Veterans Grant

The income of the person should not be more than R8,070 per month (R96,840 per year).
Married couples should not have a combined income greater than R16,140 per month (R193,680 per year).

Child Support Grant

The income of the primary caregiver of the child should not be greater than R5,000 per month (R60,000 per year).
For married applicant (child’s primary caregiver), should not have a combined income of greater than R10,000 per month (R120,000 per year ).

Care Dependency Grant

The parent or primary caregiver of the child should not be earning more than R20,800 per month (R249,600 per year).
The married applicant (parent or primary caregiver of the child), should not be earning more than R41,600 per month (R499,200 per year) combined.

Foster Child Grant

No SASSA means test is required for this grant.

SRD (Social Relief of Distress) Grant

The applicant must not be earning more than R624 per month to be eligible.

Asset Threshold for All SASSA Grants

Below you can find the maximum asset thresholds for each type of grant offered by the SASSA:

Old Age, Disability, Grant-in-Aid, and War Veterans Grant

The applicant should not have assets worth more than R1,372,800 to be eligible for these grants.
Married couples should not have combined assets valued at more than R2,745,600.

Check Out: SASSA Status Check For SRD R350

What Is Considered As Income In the SASSA Means Test?

Confused about what is considered an income in the Means Test? We have shared a complete list for you below:

Employment income: Getting paid salary, wages, and any bonuses from the company or employer.
Pensions income: Any retirement pensions received from the previous company you worked at, or government are also counted as income.
Social grants: If receiving any other social grants from SASSA, this will also be considered as income for Means Test.
Rental income: Income generated by renting a property or a portion of your house will also be considered income.
Business income: If you run any business, then the income or profits from the business will also be considered income.
Interest income: Interested received from any kind of investments such as Bank Accounts, Fixed Deposits, etc. will be counted as income in the test.
Maintenance payments: If receiving child support or spousal maintenance, from ex-spouse will also be considered as income.

What Are Considered Assets In Means Test?

Followings are considered as an Asset in the test:

Property: Any house or land owned by you or your spouse will be considered as an Asset. However, there’s an important exception: your primary residence (the house you live in) is not counted as an asset if there’s a bond registered on it.
Vehicles: The value of cars, bikes, or any other vehicle you own is also considered as an Asset.
Financial holdings: This includes your investments, such as bank accounts, fixed deposits, and investments in stocks or bonds.
Debt (with exceptions): Although debt typically reduces your overall net worth, some exceptions exist. For instance, a home bond (mentioned earlier) is considered when calculating the value of your property.

Check Out: How To Appeal For Declined SASSA SRD R350 Grant?

What Costs Are Deducted When Calculating Your Revenue?

The following costs are deducted when calculating your revenue for the SASSA:

UIF payments
Medical aid expenses
Income tax that you’re currently paying
Contributions to a retirement plan

How Much Does A SASSA Grant Pay?

As we know, there are various social grants offered by the SASSA, below table will share how much each SASSA grant pays to its beneficiaries:

Older Persons Grant (under 75 years)	R2 090 per month
Older Persons Grant (equal to or older than 75 years)	R2 110 per month
Disability Grant	R2 090 per month
War Veterans Grant	R2 110 per month
Foster Child Grant	R1 130 per month
Care Dependency Grant	R2 090 per month
Child Support Grant	R510 per month (R750 with top-up)
Grant Aid	R510 per month
SRD Grant	R350 per month

Note: These figures are effective as of October 1, 2023. These grants are paid on different dates every month and paid to the eligible beneficiaries only, so it is recommeded to check the SASSA status each month.

Check Out: SASSA SRD R370 Payment Dates for July 2024

FAQs On SASSA Grant Means Test

What is the SASSA Means Test?

The Means Test is the process used by the South African Social Security Agency to identify individuals and families who are facing financial struggles and need support from the government.

What kind of income is considered in the Means Test?

Followings are considered as income in the Means Test:
1. Salary, wages, and bonuses received from Job
2. Pensions received from previous company or government
3. Money received from other SASSA grants
4. Rental income received from renting property or any portion of the house
5. Business income and profits
6. Interested received from Bank accounts and fixed deposits
7. Maintenance or child care payments from ex-spouse

What are considered assets in the Means Test?

Followings are considered as an asset in SASSA Grant Means Test:
1. House or land owned by you or your spouse (excluding any outstanding home bond)
2. Vechines
3. Money in Bank accounts, and investments such as stocks or bonds

Do I need to take a Means Test for all SASSA grants?

No, there is one grant that has an exception, you don’t need to take the Means test for the Foster child grant.

Are my spouse’s finances considered in the Means Test?

Yes, your spouse’s income and assets will also be considered in the Means Test.

Check Out: Recover Sassa SRD R370 Reference Number Using WhatsApp

Conclusion

SASSA Means Test is used to evaluate the eligibility of an application for the SASSA grants, through this test, SASSA finds individuals and families facing financial difficulties and needing grant support. Mean Test checks for the income and assets threshold of each applicant, to check their eligible for receiving the grant support. We have shared everything related to this topic that will surely you help, if it does then consider sharing it with the others.

Related Articles for SASSA Beneficiaries:

SASSA Means Test 2024 – Asset & Income Evaluation

Income Threshold for All SASSA Grants