The arrival of the year 2026 in South Africa will be a great moment of relief for millions of people, who are getting social grants via SASSA as they will receive the additional increments of financial support every month. The government will introduce poor-friendly measures which will allow them to consume despite the increase in living costs. A clarification and expectation for the beneficiaries is coming in this regard.
Grant Increase Evoked by Economic Changes in 2026
The increase in grants was one of the key issues during the SASSA budget for the 2025/26 financial year presented by finance minister, Enoch Godongwana, along with various other measures. The budget is a government policy of expanding social support during inflation and recession times and, therefore, ensuring that the millions of South Africans who rely on grants receive more financial help. The Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant has a fixed amount of R370 which does not change during the month but this is not the case with most of the permanent grants which have seen significant increases.
New SASSA Grant Amounts for 2026
Beneficiaries will access the monthly social grant amounts as indicated below at the start of 2026. These amounts came as a result of the consecutive increases that had been in effect during the previous cycles (the increments were done in April and October 2025):
- Permanent Grants (Monthly Amounts)
- Old Age Grant (60-74 years): ~R2,320
- Old Age Grant (75+ years): ~R2,340
- Disability Grant: ~R2,320
- Care Dependency Grant: ~R2,320
- War Veterans Grant: ~R2,340
- Foster Child Grant: ~R1,250
- Child Support Grant: R560 (plus Top-Up of R280 in eligible cases, totalling R840)
- Grant-in-Aid: R560
- Social Relief of Distress (SRD): R370 per month (unchanged)
The above-mentioned figures reflect the application of monthly financial increments to the previous months—more specifically, the R10 increase on main grants in October 2025.
Understanding the Increases
The increases were primarily carried out in two phases:
- April 2025: The budget for refugees was very steeply increased, while permanent grants were raised even larger amounts to ensure that they were on par with inflation and living standards. In the case of old age and disability grants, for example, about R130 was given as an increase.
- October 2025: The smaller addition of R10 was credited to several core grants, thus further increasing the support given to the beneficiaries. This umbra was granted in old age, disability, war veterans, and care dependency grants.
Important Notes for Beneficiaries
- Amounts might vary according to the age of the person already pointed out: Old people mainly over 75 years receive somewhat higher rates for particular benefits like the aged and the old war veterans’ grants which are usually higher.
- Child support is accompanied by a top-up: Many children are qualified to get the Child Support Grant Top-Up which is an additional R280 added to the basic child support price and therefore, the total amount for the households with eligible children is increased.
- SRD still remains at R370: The Social Relief of Distress grant will be continued to be paid at the rate of R370 per month for the period up to March 2026 for the unemployed and poor adult population only as per the budget allocated for this purpose.