SASSA SRD R350 Grant: A Complete Guide to Application, Eligibility and Everything

Social Relief of Distress Grant (SRD Grant) is an initiative of the South African government to ease the financial burden of its citizens.  It aims to provide assistance in providing the most basic needs of living or a temporary assistance in financial distress.

Social Relief of Distress grant is administered under the umbrella of the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA). Ministry of Finance, in accordance with section 32 of the Social Assistance Act of 2004, is responsible for administration and proper management of the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant with the help of smooth mechanism of South African Social Security Agency (SASSA).

The eligibility criteria of SRD grant is simple. You should check it before applying for the grant. It follows as;

  You must have either of the citizen status

A South African resident having a special permit from one of the following three dispensations:

Once you check your eligibility for SASSA SRD grant, move to the nest step which is apply for it by providing the essential information and documents.

First, you need to acknowledge that you have read and agreed to the Declaration and Consent before filling the information tabs and uploading documents.

Following documents and information are required to be uploaded;

Note: The kind of documents required can be changed. It is recommended to check the types of document required. Collect all the documents before applying. Make sure they are up-to-date and original.

Get a computer, a laptop, or a mobile phone with a good internet connection for applying for SRD grant. Follow the below step-by-step procedure to avoid any incorrection or error in application submission.

SASSA offers you to apply for the grant through WhatsApp, the SASSA Chatbot, or the official Website of SASSA for SRD grant. Chose a single method for application. Multiple methods for applying does not guarantee you a swift process.

Apply Through SASSA SRD Website

Apply Through WhatsApp:

Apply Through SASSA Chatbot:

You have to agree with the terms and conditions of the consent and declaration. You also have to read and agree with You and Your Special COVID-19 SRD Grant document. Read and agree with them and proceed to the next step.

It is time to provide your personal information including;

Note: SASSA will verify the information and can ask for more too. Therefore, provide authentic and up-to-date information.

There is a difference in payment method for SRD for a fresh applicant and a previous beneficiary.

You can select your option accordingly.

For a Fresh Applicants

A new applicant will be asked to choose from the following two options to receive the R350 grant.

1.       Bank Account

2.       Cash Send

Bank Account

If you want to receive your payment through bank account, you have to provide the following details;

For Previous Beneficiaries

In case you have availed SRD grant previously and you received the payment through bank, then follow these steps;

1. Confirm the bank account details

2. Read and agree to the Terms and Conditions

3.  Submit the form

OR if your previous payment method was cash send and now want to change it to bank account, then follow these steps;

4.  Bank Name

5. Branch Name

6.  Account Number

7.  Account Type

8  Read and agree to the Terms and Conditions

9.  Submit the details

Note: The account should be on your name, otherwise, you will not receive any payment from SASSA.

Step: 5 Confirmation Message

A message on your registered mobile number will be received confirming the bank details. Congratulations! Your SASSA SRD R350 account is active now.

Step: 6 SASSA Verification Process

You have done your job. Your data has been transferred to SASSA. Now, they will verify your information and documents from the government database.

SASSA will;

Verify your name ID number, surname and all personal information from the Department of Home Affairs.

Verify your employment and financial information from financial institutions database which include Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), and South African Revenue Service (SARS).

Check your ID number and mobile number for fraud risk assessment from the database of risk prevention authorities.

SASSA will complete your verification process, and will let you know that either your application is approved or declined with a written reason. Here you have completed your application process.

Apply for SRD R350 Through SMS

In case you don’t have internet access and want to apply for SRD through SMS, then simply dial USSD code *134*7737#.

SASSA pays 350 Rand through Social Relief of Distress grant every month. Despite several proposal to increase the grant amount, but the government has not recommend any of them.

SASSA SRD takes from 60 to 90 days for the application process. There might come delay depending upon the number of applications they receive. However, when your request is approved, your grant will start from the date you have applied. In the case of rejection, SASSA will provide a written reason of rejection with the guidelines for reapplication.

SASSA offer multiples ways to track your application. After applying for the grant, you can track your application status whether it is approved, declined or where it has reached till now. Upon approval, you can also check the dates of monthly payment of the SRD grant. SRD R350 Status Check can be done through following means.

The SASSA reapplication process is same as the initial application submission. Applicants who missed their initial application duration, although they were eligible, or whose grant period has expired can use reapplication for SRD R350 grant. Submit your application by visiting the SASSA official website srd.sassa.gov.za. You will need to provide the same information you have provided in your initial application process. They includes;

SASSA will review your application once again to make a decision. If your application is approved, you will start receiving payments otherwise you will be notified with a written reason of rejection.

Your SRD application sometimes might get declined at initial phase. Reconsideration is a chance SASSA provides you to appeal for the review of your application for a second time. If you think that your application was rejected mistakenly, you can appeal for reconsideration. You can apply for it within 30 days. Make sure that all your information is correct as this is a one-time opportunity to avail.

If SASSA reject your reconsideration request too, and you are sure that the decision is incorrect, you can lodge an appeal to the Independent Tribunal for Social Assistance Appeals (ITSAA). You have to appeal before the expiry of 90 days by providing following details;

Submit your details to ITSAA through the following link srd.dsd.gov.za/appeals/appeal. If ITSAA finds your appeal convincing, it can overrule the decision of SASSA and you will be getting your grant. In the opposite scenario, you will be notified accordingly.

SASSA starts your payment from the date you have applied for it, if you are approved for SRD R350. The payment schedule varies every month and SASSA issues the date of payment each month. You can check SASSA Payment Dates.

SASSA use the following two channels to pay the grant. You can opt one of them.

NOTE: Post offices are no longer the SRD R350 grant collection points.

Aged or disable person can nominate someone else to receive the grant on their behalf.

There may be a chance that your financial status improves before the approval of application. You can cancel your application before it is approved. However, if your application has already been approved, then you have to appeal for the cancellation of your grant.

First, check your SASSA account. I it is inactive, then there is no need of cancellation of your grant. In the case of active status, you can cancel application by following these steps;

Did you cancel your SASSA SRD R350 grant? Perhaps your financial status has improved or you have found a job that provides you with a steady income. It could be for any other reason that you no longer need the SASSA grant. Now, if you find yourself in a situation where you wonder how to reinstate your cancelled SASSA grant? Well, SASSA has a simple and easy process to do so because they care for deserving people.

You can reinstate your cancelled SRD grant by following these steps;

Update your contact details if you change it. To make sure the smooth transfer of SRD grant, update it as soon as possible.

Follow these steps to update your contact details;

Within a period of 24 hours, the new contact changes will be updated.

Only SASSA SRD R350 recipients can avail the opportunity to change bank details. The procedure is, however, different for South African ID holders and Asylum or Special Permit Holders. Visit the link https://srd.sassa.gov.za/ and scroll down to the bottom and select the appropriate tab.

For South African ID Holder:

For Asylum Seekers and Special Permit Holders:

SASSA allow you to change your name and surname once a month. If your application got declined due to an error in your name, or you want to change your name due to marriage or divorce, you can do it swiftly by following the below steps. Make sure the names are the same as on your smart ID card or South African Green ID Document

SASSA will verify your name and surname from the Department of Home Affairs and then update them on their system. You will receive an SMS once the changes are made or they request for any additional information.

South African government launched SRD R350 grant on May 16, 2020 to help the financial status of COVID-19 pandemic hit people. It was a temporary scheme which was supposed to last for six months, but the government continues to extend it for multiple times.

The current decisions has extended the SRD grant till March 2025. However, there are strong chances that the grant will continue to last further.

As per the new policy of Social Relief of Distress, beneficiaries will be paid R350 every month till they are eligible for it. It means, you do not have to reapply after every 3^rd month. The old policy of reapplying is no longer in practice.

NOTE: Everything about SASSA has been discussed above. I left no stone unturned. However, feel free to enquire about any relevant query by contacting SASSA directly.

You can reach out to SASSA through the following channels