The South African Social Security Agency known as Sassa will start distributing social grants during the first week of May 2026.
The agency handles over 19 million grant payments that include the Older Persons’ Pension Grant & Disability Grant along with the War Veterans Grant and Care Dependency Grant. It also processes the Foster Child Grant and Child Support Grant plus the Child Support Grant Top-Up & Grant-in-Aid.
Payment dates for May 2026 Grant recipients should note that payments will happen on these dates:
Older Persons Grant will be paid on Wednesday 6 May 2026
Disability Grant will be paid on Thursday 7 May 2026
Children’s Grants will be paid on Friday 8 May 2026
Current Sassa grant amounts:
Old Age Grant for people aged 60-74 years & Disability Grant is R2 315
Old Age Grant for people 75 years & older is R2 335
War Veterans Grant is R2 315
Care Dependency Grant is R2 315
Child Support Grant is R560
Foster Care Grant is R1 250
Social Relief of Distress Grant is R370
Sassa portal working again after technical problems
The South African Social Security Agency announced that its self-service portal is functioning again after technical problems stopped beneficiaries from completing eLife Certification.
Sassa has acknowledged the access problems some beneficiaries experienced with the self-service system and confirmed that the issue has been fixed.
The agency explained that delays & long queues resulted from system integration problems with other government departments.
The success of eLife Certification relies on the system interface with other departments but there were technical glitches that caused delays and disruptions. The agency apologized to users who were affected.
Sassa encouraged beneficiaries who have internet access to use the online portal rather than visiting offices in person. Sassa asks all beneficiaries who have the necessary resources to make full use of this self-service portal to avoid transport costs and waiting in queues.
Life certification is required under the Social Assistance Act to ensure grants only go to eligible recipients. This process is essential to maintaining the integrity of the social grants system according to the agency.
Beneficiaries who do not comply may lose access to their grants.
Sassa may interpret the absence of life certification as an indication that the beneficiary is deceased or not legitimate.
The agency also asked the public to report fraud and stated its commitment to ensuring the right social grant is paid to the right person at the right time.
