The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) provides financial support to beneficiaries every month in the form of social grants.
These social grants include Child Support grants, Disability grants, and Old Person's grants among others. Sassa aims to provide a social safety net to vulnerable members of society with insufficient means, and its services are an important part of the South African government's efforts to reduce poverty and inequality in the country.
One of these grants is the R350 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant, which is provided to South Africans who are unemployed and do not receive any form of income.
In order to qualify for this grant, all candidates must be unemployed, between the ages of 18 and 59 years old and earn less than R624 per month.
Sassa R350 Grant Criteria
The Sassa R350 grant is available for all South Africans, aged 18 to 59, who have no other source of income. This means they cannot be receiving a salary or any other grants from Sassa. So, the eligibility criteria are quite simple.
Once you send in an application form to benefit from Sassa's Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant you should do a Sassa status check to make sure your application was submitted successfully. If Sassa rejected you and you disagree with that outcome, the first thing you need to do is lodge an appeal. This is quite easy, as you can appeal electronically.
Sassa re-evaluates R350 grant applications every month to ensure the grant applicant is still in need of support.
Those who have applied for the R350 SRD grant and were rejected, have the opportunity to appeal this decision. When making an appeal to a declined application, it is important to keep up to date with the status of your appeal.
Reasons Your Application May Be Rejected
It is important to make sure that you meet all the eligibility requirements before submitting an application, otherwise your SRD grant application will be rejected.
If your circumstances change, for example, Sassa finds that you are now receiving an income, you will no longer qualify for a social relief grant, meaning that the agency will no longer pay you. Your SRD application will also be rejected if you are receiving another grant from Sassa.
If you are UIF registered you will not be eligible to receive an SRD grant. You may also qualify for another grant, such as the old age pension, which you should apply for instead.
How To Submit A SASSA Appeal
Follow these steps to submit a Sassa appeal:
- Visit The ITSAA Website
- Enter Your Identification Number
- Enter The Cell Phone Number You Used During The Application Process
- Click Send “Pin”
- Once you receive the pin, you will be required to insert it and click “Submit”
- Select the month that you are appealing for
- Secret the drop-down arrow to choose the reason for your appeal application from the options provided
- Click “Submit” to complete the appeal application process
How To Track Your R350 Grant Appeal
In order to check your SRD grant appeal you are required to do a SASSA status check on your appeal to make sure that you appeal hasn't got lost in the Sassa system.
To check on your SASSA grant appeal status you need to have your ID number with you. This is how you research your grant appeal and find out your grant appeal status.
- Go to Sassa Appeals Website
- Enter ID number
- Enter telephone number
- Track appeal
You can also call the Sassa Call Centre on their cellphone number which is 0800 601 011. If you've already submitted an appeal, you don't need to submit another or contact the Sassa office.
It is important to note that the outcome of your appeal will be relayed through a confirmation message via SMS, this is why it is important to provide the correct contact details.
How SRD Appeals Work
It is important to note that these appeal applications are no longer submitted directly to Sassa. Initially, Sassa handled the appeal applications when the grant was first introduced, but they no longer process appeals.
Instead, unsuccessful R350 grant applicants must submit a R350 grant appeal application to the Independent Tribunal For Social Assistance Appeals (ITSAA).
Once individuals have submitted their appeal application, the ITSAA then uses various databases to verify information provided to verify their eligibility for the grant.
The databases are used to confirm personal information and income information as well.
Furthermore, applicants are advised that they will receive the outcome of their appeal applications between 60 to 90 days from when it was submitted. The decision made by the ITSAA are considered final.
How SRD grant payments work
It's important to note that the special SRD grant, commonly known as the R350 grant, does not have a fixed payment date. Sassa approves applications for this grant, and beneficiaries are notified via message when their payment is available for collection.
Once your Sassa SRD status check appeal has been confirmed successful, payments will then be made from the month you initially applied. You should run the Sassa status check to make sure that Sassa has your bank account details so that the grant can be paid to you directly.
Collect Your R350 Grant
There are a few options which SRD grant beneficiaries can choose from to collect their grant payments.
Bank Account: SRD grant beneficiaries have the option of having their grants paid directly into their bank account. This is a convenient grant payment method as beneficiaries can access their money at any time after the payment was made by Sassa.
CashSend Services: Should beneficiaries not have a bank account, they can also receive your R350 grant through a CashSend. Beneficiaries will have to use their ID numbers and phone numbers to access their grant money. You must have a cellphone with a registered cellphone number and proof of identification.
Retail outlets: Sassa grants are paid to selected retailers around the country. Beneficiaries can withdraw their money at any time when the retail outlet is operational. Pick n Pay, Shoprite, Boxer stores, Usave stores and Checkers all distribute social grants.
Shoprite Group:The Shoprite Group has now made it possible for R350 grant holders to fetch their SRD grant payments at any of their 1 286 supermarkets across South Africa, which includes Checkers, USave, OK and Shoprite stores.
To find out more about Sassa grants, including the R350 grant, head to our Sassa section