• Who Can Get the Grant?
• How Much Is the Grant?
• How to Apply for the Grant?
• General Enquiries

You must be a citizen or permanent resident of South Africa and living in South Africa at the time of applying for the grant. You must be unable to work. If you are under 18 years of age, your parent or guardian must apply for the care dependency grant instead. Also bear in mind that if your disability is as a result of an accident at work or a motor vehicle accident, you may also have a compensation claim.

You cannot get the grant if you are in prison, living in a state institution (such as a state old age home), living in a psychiatric hospital, getting care from a state treatment centre, or if you are getting state care for a drug habit. You also cannot get the grant if you are refusing to undergo medical treatment, or if you give false or misleading information when you make your application for the grant.

Only people whose financial situation is below a certain level can get the grant. The test to decide is called a means test. The means test depends on your income (if you're not married), or on the income of both you and your spouse (if you are married).

In 2006 the means test for the disability grant for a person who is not married says that you cannot get the grant if your assets are worth more than R266 400 (the value of your home is not taken into account, as long as you are living in it). Your income must also be less than R20 232 per year.

If you are married, you cannot get the grant if your joint assets (the assets belonging to both you and your spouse together) are worth more than R532 800 (the value of your home is not taken into account, as long as you are living there). Your joint income (your income plus your spouse's income) must be less than R37 512 per year.

The amount of the grant changes every year and depends on your income and assets. In 2006, the maximum grant was R820.00 per month.

If you cannot look after yourself and need full-time care from someone else, you can also apply for a Grant-In-Aid which you can get in addition to your disability grant. Also remember that people who get a disability grant have special housing subsidies available to them

You can apply for the disability grant by filling in an application form at your nearest District Welfare office or counter service point of a District Office. You do not need to pay anything to make the application.

You will be interviewed, have your fingerprints taken, and given information on whether you qualify for the grant. You will need to have certain documents and provide some information, including:

• Your South African identity document (ID), which must be bar-coded
• Information about your marital status:
• If you are single, an affidavit stating that you are single
• If you are married, your marriage certificate
• If you are divorced, your divorce order
• If your spouse is dead, your spouse's death certificate
• Information about your income and assets:
• If you were employed, your Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) ('blue book') or discharge certificate from your previous employer
• If you have a private pension, proof of the private pension
• If you have a bank account, your bank statements for three consecutive months
• If you have investments, information on the interest and dividends you earn
• If your spouse died within the last five years, a copy of the will and the first and final liquidation and distribution accounts

You will also have to undergo a medical examination. The degree of your disability will be assessed either by a doctor appointed by the state. You should bring along any previous medical records and reports both when you make the application and when the assessment is done. The doctor will complete a medical report and will forward the report to the Department. The report is valid for three months from the date you are assessed.

When you make the application, you should say how you would like the money to be paid. The money can be paid out in cash on specific days at a Pay Point, or you can get the money paid electronically into your bank account. Remember that normal bank charges apply to any money going in and out of your bank account. You can decide to change the payment method at any time by filling in a form at a Welfare office, but the change will only happen a month later.

It will take about thirty working days for your application to be processed and checked, once the medical report is received, and either approved or refused. If your application is refused you will get a letter explaining why it has been refused and how you can appeal.

If it is approved you will start getting payments within 3 months. The payments will be backdated to the day you applied for the grant. You can find out what has happened to your application and when you can expect payment by telephoning the South African Social Security Agency's toll-free number on 0800 601 011.

The disability grant will be cancelled if you die, if you are admitted to a state institution, or if your income or assets improve so much that you no longer qualify in terms of the means test, or, in the case of a temporary disability grant, when the period of the temporary disability had lapsed. You must inform the Department if any changes in your circumstances.

National Department of Social Development

South African Social Security Agency (SASSA)
Toll-free help line: 0800 601 011 for information on:

• Pay-out dates.
• Qualifying rules for all government grants.
• District office addresses and contact numbers.
• For help with what has happened to your application.
• How you can also report any fraud or corruption.