Increases in social grants for the 2025/2026 fiscal period have been announced by the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), which comes as a welcome relief to millions of South Africans in need. These increases, announced amid the national budget process, are aimed at assisting recipients to adjust their livelihoods with growing inflation, aiming toward enhancing over 19 million people with a completely overhauled basket of key grants including old-age pension, disability awards, child support, etc., while the original story from Hello Youth revises a choreographed version with an ever-growing number of people seeing higher monthly payments starting in early 2025, with figures tending to be modest but important attached to the broader fiscal planning of the government.
Announced Increase in Key Grants
The increase was calculated on the hardly anticipated Budget Speech of 2025, where the Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana, declared that, with the exception of a few grants, all permanent grants would exceed the inflation rate: the primary top-up from April 2025 with the smaller top-up from October 2025.
- Old Age Pension Grants: The rate has increased by R120 per month to attain Rs2,310 per month only for those beneficiaries who are under 75, then by additional Rs10 to come to R2,320 in October, and further increased by R2,330 April, and R2,340 in October for the 75-79-year group.
- Disability Grant and War Veterans Grant: A similar trajectory, reaching R2,310 (then R2,320 in October) and R2,330/R2,340 for older beneficiaries as applicable.
- Care Dependency Grant: It was increased slightly and now mirrors the disability grant rate; it has reached R2,320 by October.
- Child Support Grant and Foster Child Grant: Being increased with inflation adjustment, still standout due to their undisguised emphasis on the value-building art of care for caregivers and children in need.
These changes affirm a commitment towards protecting the social wage in 2025/2026, with bets made at a total of R284.7 billion set aside to finance permanent grants.
Social Relief of Distress (SRD) Grant Update
The COVID-19 SRD grant measures extended until March 2026 for R370 per month, without any increase in value. This will assist the unemployed, with slightly more than R35 billion now allocated. Governments will review this measure and see the possibility of linking it to employment programmes in the future.
Impact on the Beneficiaries
These increments give enough financial breathing space in the middle of various burdens of high inflation along with food, fuel, and electricity prices. For the age, pensioners, physically challenged, and the likes that are staying eventually all the extra funds mainly for the very basic needs, health needs, or household needs, directly. On the other hand, also then child-related grants, in that they promote family stability.
While SASSA will try and effect timely payments by using bank accounts, SASSA cards, or central or retail outlets, they will then ensure staggering schedules for the people to avoid overcrowding. The existing beneficiaries will relatively easily access the adjustments, without reapplying.
Staying Informed and Accessing Grants
Read more about other grants at the following link.
Claimants are encouraged to validate information solely through official sources rather than the Internet-for instance, the SASSA website (www.sassa.gov.za) or the local offices-so as to avoid being scammed. Payment dates are published monthly, generally available for the elderly and disabled-pension clients from the first date of a new month. For inquiries, one may contact the SASSA free number, 0800 60 10 11.
Also Read: SASSA R370 SRD Grant January 2026 Update: Payment Dates, Eligibility & Latest News
