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Extended to March 2027

SASSA SRD R370 Grant
2026 - How to Apply, Eligibility & Amounts

The SRD R370 grant is the grant I get asked about most on this site - and for good reason. It is the lifeline for millions of South Africans with no other income. This guide covers who qualifies, how to apply correctly, what happens when you are declined, and the things SASSA does not make obvious.

R370
per month
18–59
age range
R624
income limit
Mar 2027
extended until
📋 Apply at srd.sassa.gov.za → 🔍 Check My Status
By Paul Geddes · Updated May 2026 · Founder, SassaHelp
✅

SRD Grant Extended to March 2027

National Treasury confirmed in the February 2026 budget that the SRD R370 grant has been extended for another year with R36.4 billion allocated. If you are already approved, you do not need to reapply - your grant continues automatically.

💬 What I've Learned About the SRD Grant

I built SassaHelp because I kept seeing the same questions go unanswered - or answered incorrectly - on social media and WhatsApp groups. After years of tracking SASSA policy changes and reading through reader questions, here are the things that trip people up most:

The R624 income threshold is stricter than most people think. SASSA does not just take your word for it. Every month, your application is cross-checked against SARS tax records, the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) database, the UIF database, government payroll (PERSAL), and your bank account transaction history. If any of these show income above R624, your application is declined - even if you only received a once-off payment like a birthday cash gift that landed in your account. The most common shock I see in reader questions is "I earned nothing but was still declined" - usually it turns out to be a single transaction SASSA's system flagged.

Applying at srd.sassa.gov.za takes about 5 minutes - but use a number you will not change. SASSA ties your entire SRD application to your mobile number. If you change your number and forget to update it with SASSA, you lose access to your application entirely. I have seen this happen repeatedly. If you need to update your number, do it at srd.sassa.gov.za before you change your SIM.

"Approved" means approved for that month only. Every single month is a new eligibility check. Being approved in April does not guarantee approval in May. If your status shows Pending in the first week of the month, that is normal - it typically resolves within 2 weeks. If it shows Declined, check the reason code on the portal because each reason has a different fix.

Beware the fee-charging "helpers". Applying for the SRD grant is completely free. No person, website, or agent should ever charge you to submit, check, or fix your application. I have written a full guide on the scams to avoid in 2026. If anyone has charged you, you can report them to SASSA's fraud line at 0800 601 011.

💰 SRD Grant Details - 2026

SRD R370 Grant - Key Facts 2026

Grant amountR370 per month
Grant typeSocial Relief of Distress (SRD)
Who administers itSASSA (South African Social Security Agency)
Age requirement18 to 59 years old
Income thresholdLess than R624 per month
Valid untilMarch 2027 (confirmed extension)
Application portalsrd.sassa.gov.za
Payment datesSee full schedule →

✅ Who Qualifies for the SRD Grant?

These are SASSA's official requirements. The tricky one is income - SASSA checks it against multiple government databases every month, not just what you declare on the form. If you had any income in the relevant period, it may cause a decline even if it was a once-off amount.

✅
SA Citizen, PR or Refugee
Must be a South African citizen, permanent resident, or asylum seeker/refugee with a valid permit.
✅
Aged 18 to 59
You must be between 18 and 59 years old. Turn 60 and you transition to the Old Age Pension.
✅
Unemployed
You must not be employed or earning a regular income. Informal or occasional income must be below R624/month.
✅
Income below R624/month
Total income from all sources must be below R624 per month - the food poverty line.
❌
Not receiving another SASSA grant
You cannot receive SRD if you already receive a Disability Grant, Old Age Pension, or other SASSA grant in your own name.
❌
Not receiving UIF benefits
Active UIF claimants are disqualified for the months they receive UIF payments. Being registered for UIF but not actively claiming is fine - just having a UIF number does not disqualify you.
❌
Not a NSFAS student
Full-time students receiving NSFAS bursaries or allowances do not qualify while those payments are active.
❌
Not a government employee
Anyone on the government payroll (PERSAL) is automatically disqualified, including municipal workers.

📋 How to Apply for the SRD Grant

You only apply once. After that, SASSA re-checks your eligibility every month automatically. Do not reapply just because you were declined for one month - that is normal and a separate process (the decline reason determines the fix, not reapplying from scratch).

1

Go to srd.sassa.gov.za

Open srd.sassa.gov.za on your phone or computer. Click Apply for SRD Grant. This is free - do not pay any website claiming to submit your application.

💡 The portal sometimes goes down during peak hours (early morning and lunch). If you can't connect, try again after 8pm - it is usually quieter then.
2

Enter your ID number and mobile number

Type your 13-digit SA ID number and a mobile number you have access to. SASSA will use this number to send you OTPs and payment notifications every month.

⚠️ Use a number you intend to keep. Your SRD application is tied to this number. Changing SIMs later without updating SASSA first can lock you out of your account.
3

Verify with OTP

SASSA will send a one-time PIN to your mobile number. Enter it to confirm you own the number.

4

Answer the eligibility questions

SASSA will ask about your employment status, income, and whether you receive other benefits. Answer truthfully - the system cross-checks all answers against SARS, NSFAS, UIF, PERSAL and your bank records every single month.

✅ Be exact. Do not round up income figures. If your income is R0, say R0. If you had a small once-off payment in the previous month, you may still be flagged - SASSA looks at what landed in your account, not just what you declare.
5

Submit banking details

Enter your bank account number, bank name, and account type. SASSA will verify these with your bank before your first payment. If you have no bank account, select Post Office (SAPO).

💡 A Capitec, TymeBank or African Bank account works well for SRD payments - they are free to open and have wide ATM access. Avoid using someone else's account: SASSA's name verification checks that the account belongs to the applicant, and mismatches cause payment failures.
6

Check your status monthly

After applying, check your status at srd.sassa.gov.za. Your status will show Pending while SASSA processes your application, then either Approved (with a payment date) or Declined (with a reason code). If you are declined, the reason code tells you exactly what to do - our SASSA declined guide covers all of them.

✅ You only apply once. SASSA checks your eligibility automatically every month. If you are declined for one month, do not panic and do not reapply - instead, check the reason and appeal that specific month if you think SASSA got it wrong.
❌
Grant declined?
Being declined for a month is not the end. Find your exact decline reason and what to do about it in our SASSA Declined guide →. If you disagree with the decision, you can appeal free of charge within 90 days - successful appeals receive full backpay for the declined month. See the SRD appeal guide for step-by-step instructions.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

These are the questions I see most often from readers on this site and through the SASSA helpline. If yours is not covered here, the declined guide covers more specific scenarios.

  • Yes. The SRD grant was originally R350 per month when it launched in 2020 during COVID-19 lockdowns. It was increased to R370 per month in April 2023, where it remains. Some people still call it the "R350 grant" out of habit, but the correct current amount is R370.
  • Yes, in most cases. If you receive the Child Support Grant on behalf of a child, you can also receive the SRD grant for yourself - the CSG belongs to the child, not to you as the caregiver. However, some readers have reported the CSG payment being flagged as "income" in their account, which triggers a decline. If this happens to you, the correct fix is to appeal with a letter explaining that the R580 is a child's grant, not your income.
  • No. You apply once and your application stays active indefinitely. SASSA checks your eligibility automatically every single month. You only need to reapply if SASSA cancelled your application entirely (which is rare and different from being declined). A decline for one month is not a cancellation - it just means you did not qualify for that specific month.
  • Pending means SASSA has received your application or monthly reconsideration and is currently running the cross-checks against government databases. This is completely normal, especially in the first two weeks of the month. In my experience tracking this, Pending usually resolves to either Approved or Declined within 7 to 14 days. If your status has been Pending for longer than 3 weeks, call 0800 60 10 11. See the full pending status guide for more detail.
  • Yes. Asylum seekers and recognised refugees with valid Section 22 or Section 24 permits from the Department of Home Affairs can apply for the SRD grant. They must meet all other eligibility criteria. Undocumented foreign nationals do not qualify.
  • When you turn 60, you become eligible for the Old Age Pension (R2,400/month) and are automatically disqualified from the SRD grant. SASSA will decline your SRD for the month you turn 60. Apply for the Old Age Pension at your nearest SASSA office before your 60th birthday - you can apply up to 3 months in advance to avoid a gap in payments. Do not wait until after you turn 60.

📋 Other SASSA Grants

👴
Old Age Pension
R2,400 / month
♿
Disability Grant
R2,400 / month
👶
Child Support Grant
R580 / child / month
🏥
Care Dependency Grant
R2,400 / month
Written by Paul Geddes · Updated May 2026
⚠️ Disclaimer: SassaHelp.co.za is an independent information service and is not affiliated with SASSA or the South African Government. Always apply and check status at srd.sassa.gov.za.