Understanding the SASSA Means Test: Guide to Social Grants. In South Africa Social Assistance is subject to means testing which implies that SASSA evaluates the income and assets of the person applying as well as his/her spouse in order to determine whether the person’s means are below a stipulated amount.
To apply for a social grant from the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), you must first understand the SASSA means test requirements. You are required to pass the means test criteria to be eligible for the grant.
The Means Test calculates the applicant’s financial status, including their income, assets, and other financial factors, to ensure that only deserving individuals receive the grant. If the income or assets of the applicant are higher than the SASSA means test threshold, then they will not be eligible to qualify for the grant.
Each grant type has different criteria for its means test to evaluate the financial eligibility. For example, older persons grants, disability grants, and war veteran’s grants are all paid on a sliding scale, meaning that the more private income you have, the smaller the grant amount you will receive.
The assets and income of a married person are calculated collectively with their spouse. It doesn’t matter if they are married within the community or out of community property. For unmarried people, assets and income are solely dependent on them.
In this context, I discussed each grant type’s income and asset threshold. This article will also tell you how much SASSA pays you. Keep reading the content carefully to understand the means test criteria before applying for the SASSA social grant.
Below, we’ll discuss the maximum income and asset thresholds that are valid from April 1, 2023. It’s important to note that these values may change whether on April 1 or October 1 every year.
Income Threshold for All SASSA Grants
As we already discussed, the SASSA income threshold differs based on the type of SASSA grant. Following are the maximum income thresholds for each type of grant:
Old Age, Disability, Grant-in-Aid, and War Veterans Grant:
Child Support Grant
Care Dependency Grant
Foster Child Grant
SRD (Social Relief of Distress) Grant
Asset Threshold for All SASSA Grants
Here are the maximum asset thresholds for each type of grant:
Old Age, Disability, Grant-in-Aid, and War Veterans Grant:
The Child Support, Care Dependency, Foster Child Grant, and SRD Grant are all need-based grants and do not require the means test for assets.
What is considered an income in SASSA Means Test?
The following are considered as an income according to SASSA:
What are considered assets?
SASSA means test considers the following as assets:
What costs are deducted when calculating your revenue?
When calculating your salary for the SASSA means test, you’re permitted to subtract the following expenses:
How much does a SASSA grant pay?
Here, we’ll explain how much a SASSA grant pays. These figures are effective as of October 1, 2023. It may change whether on April 1 or October 1 every year.
These grant payments are scheduled monthly and only paid to the eligible applicants.