Most people arrive knowing their situation, not the name of the grant that fits it. These guides start from the circumstance — waiting on a payment, caring for someone, a disaster at home — and work back to the help that exists for it and how to ask for it.
Find the line closest to where you are. Each points to the grant or relief designed for it, and the guide that explains who qualifies and how to apply. Every application listed here is free.
| Your situation | What may help | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 18–59, unemployed, with little or no income | The Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant of R370 a month, if your income is below R624 | Who qualifies for SRD |
| Caring for a child, including a grandchild or a relative's child | The Child Support grant, paid to the child's primary caregiver — who does not have to be the parent | Child Support grant |
| Aged 60 or older | The Older Persons grant, subject to the means test. SRD stops at 60. | Older Persons grant |
| Living with a disability that stops you working | The Disability grant, after a medical assessment | Disability grant |
| Approved for a grant but not yet paid | Social Relief of Distress while the approved grant starts | Help while you wait |
| Looking after someone who can no longer manage their grant | Collecting as a procurator or administrator | Collecting for someone else |
| A recognised refugee, asylum seeker or special permit holder | SRD has its own applicant category; some permanent grants cover refugees | How to apply for SRD |
| Not sure which grants you can get | The documents and the means test every permanent grant uses | The means test |
The grant pages on this site are organised the way SASSA organises them — by grant name. That works once you know which grant you are after. It does not work when what you actually know is that the money has not arrived and the rent is due.
These guides start from the situation instead, and point at whichever of the SRD grant or the permanent grants applies — including the awards people rarely hear about, like relief while an approved grant is still being processed.
Every guide in this section is checked the same way as the rest of the site — see how we verify.
Reviewed by Haris Shafique, Editorial reviewer against official SASSA sources on . How we check our facts