Which SASSA Grant Do I Qualify For?

Answer a few questions once and see every SASSA grant you may qualify for — SRD, Old Age, Disability and Child Support — with the amounts.

Find the grants you qualify for

Checks SRD, Old Age, Disability & Child Support at once

This is an independent estimate based on published SASSA rules and does not guarantee approval. Always confirm and apply through official SASSA channels.

How this calculator works

One test, every grant

This tool runs your details against the SRD, Old Age, Disability and Child Support rules at once, so you don't have to guess which to try.

Age is the biggest factor

Under 60 points you toward SRD or Disability; 60+ toward the Old Age Grant. Children in your care unlock the Child Support Grant regardless of age.

Borderline income

If you are just over a limit, some grants use a sliding scale — always apply and let SASSA assess you.

Finding the grant that fits your situation

South Africa's social grant system can feel like a maze. There are grants for the elderly, for people with disabilities, for children, for foster parents, for war veterans and for unemployed adults — each with its own rules, amounts and income limits. The purpose of this page, and the calculator above, is to cut through that and answer one practical question: given your life situation, which grant or grants can you claim?

The quickest way to find your route is to start from where you are in life. Are you working-age and unemployed? Elderly? Living with a disability? Caring for children? Each of these leads to a different grant, and some situations lead to more than one at the same time. Below we map every grant to the people it is meant for, explain how the means test works across the different grants, and show how grants can be combined.

Remember that this is an independent helper site. The figures here are correct as of September 2026, but you should always confirm them with SASSA before you apply.

The grants at a glance

Here is every main SASSA grant, what it pays and who it is for. Keep this table handy as a map for the rest of the page.

GrantMonthly amountWho it is for
SRD R370R370Unemployed adults 18–59 with almost no income
Old Age GrantR2,400 (R2,420 at 75+)People aged 60 and over
Disability GrantR2,400Adults with a medically confirmed disability
War Veterans GrantR2,420Veterans of specific wars, aged 60+ or disabled
Care Dependency GrantR2,400Caregivers of a child with a severe disability
Child Support GrantR580 per childPrimary caregivers of children under 18
Foster Child GrantR1,290 per childCourt-appointed foster parents
Grant-in-AidR580Grant holders who need full-time care

Our 2026 grant amounts guide keeps a running record of these figures, and who qualifies for SASSA grants explains the eligibility of each in plain language.

Working-age and unemployed

If you are between 18 and 59, in good health, and unemployed, the personal grants for the elderly and disabled do not apply to you. Your route is the SRD R370 grant.

The SRD R370 grant

The SRD grant is emergency income relief. It pays R370 a month and is tested on the money that flows into your bank account. If more than R624 arrives in the month being assessed, you are declined for that month. There is no asset test, but the income threshold is deliberately low because the grant is meant for people with essentially no income.

Key features:

Check your own numbers with the SRD R370 status calculator, and read the R624 income threshold to understand exactly what counts. If you are declined, the SRD declined reasons guide explains the most common causes and how to fix them.

Elderly (60 and over)

Once you turn 60, you qualify to be tested for the Old Age Grant, provided you pass the means test.

The Old Age Grant

The Old Age Grant pays R2,400 a month, rising to R2,420 once you turn 75. Unlike the SRD grant, it has both an income test and an asset test, and your home is excluded from the asset test.

SingleMarried (combined)
Income limitR9,350/moR18,700/mo
Asset limitR1,584,000R3,168,000

If your income and assets fall under these limits, you qualify. The grant is stable once approved — it is not reassessed every month the way SRD is. Estimate your position with the old age grant calculator and read how to apply for the Old Age Grant for the full process. War veterans of certain conflicts may instead qualify for the slightly higher War Veterans Grant of R2,420.

Living with a disability

If a medical condition prevents you from working, and you are between 18 and 59, your route is the Disability Grant.

The Disability Grant

The Disability Grant pays R2,400 a month and uses the same means test as the Old Age Grant: single income under R9,350 and assets under R1,584,000, or married combined income under R18,700 and assets under R3,168,000, with your home excluded.

You will need a medical assessment confirming the disability. The grant can be permanent or temporary depending on the nature of the condition. Estimate your eligibility with the disability grant calculator and follow how to apply for the Disability Grant. At 60, a Disability Grant simply converts to the Old Age Grant, so there is no loss of income.

If you need full-time care

If you receive the Old Age, Disability or War Veterans Grant and you need another person to care for you full time, you can also receive the Grant-in-Aid of R580 a month on top of your main grant. It is one of the few top-ups the system allows.

Caring for children

Two grants exist for people raising children, and choosing between them depends on whether a court is involved.

The Child Support Grant

The Child Support Grant pays R580 per child to the child's primary caregiver — who need not be the biological parent. It has an income means test but no asset test:

Because the limit is generous, working caregivers on modest wages usually qualify. Use the child support calculator to estimate the total across all your children, and read how to apply for the Child Support Grant.

The Foster Child Grant

The Foster Child Grant pays R1,290 per child but requires a children's court order placing the child in your foster care, with a social worker involved. In return, it has no means test at all — your income is irrelevant. Estimate it with the foster child grant calculator and see how to apply for the Foster Child Grant.

The Care Dependency Grant

If you care for a child under 18 with a severe disability who needs permanent care, you may qualify for the Care Dependency Grant of R2,400 a month. It has a means test on the caregiver's income and requires a medical assessment of the child. Estimate it with the care dependency calculator and read how to apply for the Care Dependency Grant.

Child grantAmountCourt orderMeans test
Child SupportR580/childNoR5,800 / R11,600
Foster ChildR1,290/childYesNone
Care DependencyR2,400/childNoYes (caregiver income)

How the means test works across grants

The phrase "means test" causes a lot of confusion because it does not mean the same thing for every grant. There are really three different tests in the system.

Test 1: the SRD bank-deposit test

The SRD grant does not use the standard means test. Instead it looks at money entering your bank account and compares it with R624 a month. It has no asset test. This is the simplest and lowest threshold in the system, reflecting the grant's role as emergency relief.

Test 2: the income-and-asset test (Old Age, Disability, War Veterans)

The personal grants for older and disabled adults use a full means test with both an income limit and an asset limit. Your home is always excluded.

SingleMarried (combined)
Income limitR9,350/moR18,700/mo
Asset limitR1,584,000R3,168,000

This is the test people usually mean when they say "the means test". Our means test explainer breaks down exactly what counts as income and as an asset, and the means test calculator does the arithmetic for you.

Test 3: the caregiver-income test (Child Support, Care Dependency)

The child grants that do have a means test look at the caregiver's income only, with no asset test. Child Support uses R5,800 single or R11,600 married. This is why a caregiver can earn far more and still qualify for Child Support than they could for SRD or a personal grant.

The Foster Child Grant is the exception that proves the rule — it has no means test because the court has already established the child's need.

How to combine grants

A single household can legitimately receive several grants at once, as long as you follow two rules.

Rule 1: one personal grant per person

Each individual can hold only one personal grant. You cannot receive both Old Age and Disability, or Disability and War Veterans. When you turn 60 on a Disability Grant, it simply converts to Old Age. The SRD grant also counts here — you cannot hold SRD and a personal grant together, and SRD is assessed on your bank income so it cannot be stacked with grant income.

Rule 2: child grants are separate

Child grants — Child Support, Foster Child and Care Dependency — are paid for the child, to the caregiver. They do not count as the caregiver's personal grant, so they stack on top of whatever the caregiver receives for themselves.

What a combined household can look like

Our can you get multiple grants guide sets out every valid combination, and srd vs child support explains the most common pairing in detail.

How to use this calculator

The tool above is designed to point you toward the right grant quickly.

  1. Start from your life situation — unemployed, elderly, disabled, or caring for children.
  2. Enter your income and, where relevant, your assets and marital status.
  3. The calculator checks your figures against the correct test for each grant.
  4. It shows which grants you appear to qualify for and estimates the monthly total.

Because different grants use different tests, the calculator applies the R624 rule to SRD, the R9,350/R18,700 income-and-asset test to the personal grants, and the R5,800/R11,600 caregiver test to Child Support. Treat the result as a guide, not a decision — only SASSA can approve a grant.

Worked examples

Example 1 — unemployed 35-year-old

Bongani is 35, unemployed and has no children. He is too young for Old Age and has no disability, so his only route is the SRD R370 grant, provided under R624 enters his account each month.

Example 2 — 63-year-old pensioner

Maria is 63 and single, with a small income of R3,000 a month from a part-time cleaning job and no significant assets. R3,000 is under the R9,350 single limit, so she qualifies for the Old Age Grant of R2,400.

Example 3 — single mother caring for three

Zanele is unemployed and cares for three children. She receives SRD R370 for herself and R580 x 3 = R1,680 in Child Support, a household total of R2,050 a month.

Example 4 — disabled adult over the asset limit

David, 45, has a qualifying disability but owns investments worth R1.6 million. Because that exceeds the R1,584,000 asset limit, he does not qualify for the Disability Grant despite his condition. The means test looks at means, not only medical need.

Next steps

Once the calculator has pointed you to a grant, the practical steps are the same for most grants:

For the SRD grant specifically, you can track your outcome with the check SRD status online guide and estimate payment timing with the payment date estimator.

Where to get help

If you are unsure which grant fits your circumstances, call the SASSA toll-free line on 0800 60 10 11 or visit your nearest SASSA local office, where an official can assess you in person. Our SASSA contact details guide lists all the ways to reach them.

This is an independent helper site and is not affiliated with SASSA or the government. Always confirm your eligibility and the current grant figures at SASSA or on 0800 60 10 11 before you apply.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I qualify for more than one SASSA grant?
You can only get one personal grant (Old Age, Disability or War Veterans) for yourself, but you can add the Child Support Grant for children in your care, and SRD is assessed separately on household income.
Which grant should I apply for?
It depends mainly on your age and situation: SRD or Disability if you are 18–59, the Old Age Grant from 60, and the Child Support Grant if you care for children. This tool checks all of them at once.