Grant-in-Aid 2026

It isn't a stand-alone grant. SASSA's You and Your Grant booklet says the applicant must already receive one of three grants:

• the Older Person's Grant
• the Disability Grant
• the War Veterans Grant

The extra money is meant to help pay someone to look after you. It is a separate award with its own application and its own assessment, and a separate amount.

R580 a month, according to SASSA's 2026/27 announcement, which is R20 more than before April 2026. It is added to whatever you already receive from your main grant.

The booklet says you must:

• already receive an Older Person's, Disability or War Veterans Grant
• need regular attendance and assistance from another person because of a physical or mental disability or illness
• not be cared for in a state-funded institution that receives a subsidy for your care or housing
• have a medical or functional assessment confirming the disability
• provide clinical information or a referral form confirming it

If an earlier application was turned down on medical grounds, the booklet says to submit a referral form from your treating facility or practitioner.

The main grant already needed medical evidence for the Disability Grant, but Grant-in-Aid asks a different question: do you need someone with you regularly to manage daily life? The government says you must bring a medical or assessment report, less than three months old, that shows you need full-time care from someone else.

A doctor answers that question. This page can't say whether you will qualify.

Bring certified copies.

• Your 13-digit barcoded ID, and your spouse's if you are married
• A certified copy of your Section 24 refugee permit, if applicable
• Proof of marital status
• Your latest payslip, not older than three months, and your spouse's
• Three months of bank statements for every account, yours and your spouse's
• A bank confirmation letter, or three months of statements, for the account you want to be paid into
• Proof of permissible deductions and proof of assets
• A referral letter with clinical information from your treating practitioner or institution

1. Collect the documents and the medical report.
2. Go to your nearest SASSA office. The officer will interview you and tell you whether you qualify.
3. Complete the application form in front of the officer. Only you or a SASSA official may fill it in.
4. Keep the receipt.

Applying is free. It may take up to three months, and an approved grant is paid from the day you applied, the government says. If you are too old or sick to travel, a family member or friend can apply for you with a letter from you or a doctor's note explaining why. SASSA says it never asks for your PIN. To report fraud, call 0800 701 701.

Because Grant-in-Aid can only be paid on top of one of the three main grants, it can't outlast them. SASSA's booklet says a grant can lapse when the beneficiary dies or is admitted to a state-funded care institution, and can be suspended when a review isn't completed or circumstances change.

If your main grant is suspended and then restored, ask your SASSA office whether the top-up restarts or has to be reapplied for.

If you are told your main grant has been suspended, ask about both grants in the same call. To restore a grant that was suspended because you missed a review, SASSA says you must apply within 30 days.

If your application is stuck, visit the office where you applied, call 0800 60 10 11, or email GrantEnquiries@sassa.gov.za, and quote your receipt. The SRD status checker doesn't cover this grant. An unsuccessful application gets written reasons, and you can appeal by asking an official to help lodge it or emailing Grantappeals@dsd.gov.za. You have 90 days from learning of the decision to appeal, under the appeal regulations. The comparison of every SASSA grant shows how the rest fit together.