How to apply for the disability grant

The disability grant is for adults whose disability stops them from working. SASSA works out your amount with a means test, so you may get less than the maximum. The maximum is set each year in the national Budget. The disability grant page on gov.za gives the amount, but it may not show an increase straight away, so confirm it with SASSA on 0800 60 10 11.

Who qualifies

SASSA’s grant booklet says you must:

• be a South African citizen, permanent resident or recognised refugee living in South Africa,
• be 18 to 59 years old,
• not be cared for in a state-funded institution,
• not get another social grant for yourself,
• have a medical or functional assessment that confirms your disability, and
• pass the means test, which looks at your income and assets and your spouse’s.

If a child under 18 has a disability and needs permanent care, the parent or caregiver can apply for the care dependency grant instead. To compare the grants that may fit, use our grant finder.

Temporary or permanent

gov.za explains the two kinds of disability grant:

• A temporary disability grant is for a disability expected to last at least six months and not more than 12 months. It lapses when the period ends.
• A permanent disability grant is for a disability expected to last more than a year. Permanent doesn’t mean for life: SASSA can still review it.

The medical assessment

Your disability must be confirmed by an assessment. Bring clinical information or a referral form from the clinic, hospital or doctor who treats you. A doctor appointed by the state assesses you and sends a report to SASSA. gov.za says the report is valid for three months from the day you are assessed.

If SASSA turned you down before on medical grounds, the booklet says you need a referral form completed by the facility or practitioner who treats you before you apply again.

What to take with you

Take certified copies of your documents. SASSA’s booklet lists:

• your 13-digit barcoded ID, and your spouse’s if you are married,
• your Section 24 refugee permit, if you apply as a refugee,
• a signed and stamped referral letter with clinical information from your health practitioner or treating facility, plus any earlier medical records,
• proof of your marital status, such as a marriage certificate, your spouse’s death certificate, a divorce order, or an affidavit if your spouse deserted you,
• your latest payslip (not older than three months), and your spouse’s,
• three months of bank statements for every account you and your spouse hold,
• a bank confirmation letter or three months of statements for the account you want the grant paid into, which must be in your own name,
• proof of deductions such as tax, UIF, medical aid or a private pension, and
• proof of assets, such as property you don’t live in, investments, shares or endowment policies.

SASSA may ask for more during your interview. If you don’t have an ID, gov.za says you can make a sworn statement on a SASSA form and bring a statement from someone who can confirm your name and age. SASSA then refers you to Home Affairs to apply for an ID.

How to apply

1. Go to the SASSA office nearest to where you live with your documents and medical information.
2. Fill in the application form in front of a SASSA officer.
3. Go to the medical assessment by the doctor appointed by the state, and take your medical records and reports with you.
4. Keep the receipt SASSA gives you. It is your proof that you applied.

After you apply

gov.za says it can take up to three months to process an application. If SASSA approves it, you are paid from the date you applied.

If SASSA can’t give you an outcome on the day, follow up at the office, call 0800 60 10 11 or email GrantEnquiries@sassa.gov.za.

If SASSA turns you down, it must tell you why in writing and how to appeal. Your appeal goes to the Independent Tribunal for Social Assistance Appeals, not to the Minister of Social Development. Appeal within 90 days of SASSA’s decision. The days count from the date of the decision, not from the day you hear about it, so don’t wait.

Ask a SASSA official to help you fill in the appeal form (Form 1). SASSA must send it to the tribunal within 15 days. You can also email your appeal to Grantappeals@dsd.gov.za. Include a copy of your ID and a copy of SASSA’s decision: the tribunal treats your appeal as lodged only once it has both. If more than 90 days have passed, you can still ask the tribunal to accept a late appeal on Form 2 and explain why you are late.

How you are paid

SASSA pays the grant into an active bank account in your own name. Disability grants are paid after older persons grants each month. How SASSA pays explains the payment order and where SASSA publishes the payment dates. If you use a SASSA card from Postbank and lose it, see what to do if your SASSA card is lost or stolen.

If your disability means you need someone to care for you full time, you may also qualify for a grant-in-aid on top of your disability grant.

Keep your grant

• Tell SASSA when your income, marital status, address or phone number changes.
• Answer SASSA when it asks you to come in for a review.
• Tell SASSA before you leave South Africa for more than 90 days.
• A temporary disability grant lapses when its period ends. If you still can’t work, ask SASSA about applying again.

Stay safe

Applying is free. Nobody can buy you a medical assessment or a faster approval. SASSA says it will never ask for your PIN. See how to spot SASSA scams.