Understanding the SASSA Means Test: Guide to Social Grants
SASSA distributes different types of social grants to ensure that only deserving individuals get financial assistance; SASSA sets specific criteria known as the SASSA means test for each grant to evaluate the financial condition of applicants to determine whether the applicant is eligible for the grant or not.
The means test assesses an individual’s financial situation, which includes income and asset value, and a grant application can be rejected if the income and asset value exceed the mean test threshold.
For married applicants, the income and assets are calculated collectively with their spouse, and for single applicants are calculated independently. Before applying for SASSA social grants, it is necessary to understand the income and asset threshold for each grant.
Understanding the SASSA Means Test
A SASSA social grant applicant must understand the main components of the means test, which includes assessing their income and assets. The SASSA means test include the following components;
- Income Assessment: The SASSA means test evaluates the income of the applicant, including salaries, wages, pensions, and any other sources of regular income.
- Asset Assessment: The test also considers the assets owned by the applicant, including property, vehicles, savings, etc.
Income Threshold for SASSA Social Grants
Here are the monthly and annual income thresholds for SASSA grants;
- Old Age, Grant-in-Aid, and War Veterans Grant: For married, R16,140 per month and R193,680 per year; for unmarried, R8,070 per month and R96,840 per year.
- Disability Grant: For married, R16,140 per month and R193,680 per year; for unmarried, R8,070 per month and R96,840 per year.
- Child Support Grant: For Single caregivers: R5,000 per month, R60,000 per year; Married caregivers: R10,000 per month, R120,000 per year.
- Care Dependency Grant: A single parent or primary caregiver should not earn more than R20 800 per month (R249 600 per year), and Married applicants (parents or primary caregivers) should not have combined incomes exceeding R499 200 per year (R41 600 per month).
- SRD Grant: The income must be less than R624 per month.
- Foster Child Grant: Foster child grants have no income threshold.
| SASSA Grant Type | Monthly Threshold | Annually Threshold |
| Older Person Grant | Married (R16,140), Single (R8,070) | Married (R193,680), Single (R96,840) |
| War Veterans Grant | Married (R16,140), Single (R8,070) | Married (R193,680), Single (R96,840) |
| Grant-in-Aid | Married (R16,140), Single (R8,070) | Married (R193,680), Single (R96,840 ) |
| Disability Grant | Married (R16,140), Single (R8,070) | Married (R193,680), Single (R96,840) |
| Care Dependency Grant | Married (R41 600), Single (R20 800) | Married ( R499 200), Single (R249 600) |
| Child Support Grant | Married (R10,000 ), Single (R5,000) | Married (R120,000 ), Single (R60,000) |
| Foster Child Grant | no income threshold | no income threshold |
| Social Relief of Distress | less than R624 | No Annually Threshold |
Asset Threshold for SASSA Social Grants
According to the SASSA means test, for Disability grant, Grant-in-Aid, Old Age, and War Veterans grants, the asset value for the unmarried applicant must be less than R1 372 800, and for the married asset value should be less than R2 745 600.
The SASSA SRD, child support, Care dependency, and Foster child grants do not need any asset threshold as they are need based grants.
Note: Each year, the income and asset limits are updated on the 1st of April and the 1st of October.
Benefits of SASSA Means Test
The SASSA means test makes it easy for SASSA to identify and help those people who do not have any other source of income and need financial assistance. SASSA set certain criteria for a reason so that people who have good economic conditions do not misuse the social grants system.
After grant approval, SASSA reviews the financial condition of the grant beneficiary regularly; if the financial condition of the grant holder improves and don’t need any financial help, it is a must for the grant beneficiary to inform SASSA and cancel the grant.