SASSA’s announcement about the increase in installment of social grants starting from October 2025. The increase has been necessitated to relieve the financial pressure faced by millions of vulnerable South African citizens, especially as inflation and the cost-of-living continue to rise.
The increase cuts across various grant types, including grants for old age, disability, child support, foster care, and care dependency. The recipients do not need to reapply for the payments; the current beneficiaries are expected to receive the new rates automatically.
Why This Increase Matters
Given how daily expenses for food, electricity, transport, and healthcare are rising, the extra support is quite crucial for those on fixed incomes. This extra income might provide a little more breathing space for pensioners, caregivers, and persons with disabilities to meet certain essentials.
Besides lifting the recipients and their families, these inflows could potentially have a sort of multiplicated effect on the local economies as more spending power in the hands of grant recipients sparks business between local entrepreneurs as well as small grocery stores.
Grant Types Implicting & New Amounts
The grants receiving the October increase include:
- Old Age / Pension Grants: payable for South Africans 60 years and older.
- Disability Grants: payable for persons who are physically disabled on a prolonged or permanent basis.
- Child Support Grants: payable to caregivers for children younger than 18 years.
- Foster Child Grants: payable to foster parents appointed by law.
- Care Dependency Grants: payable to guardians of children with severe disabilities.
How & When Payments Are Made
To adequately manage logistics and reduce congestion at pay points, SASSA usually staggers payments per grant type In October 2025:
- Older Persons / Pension grants will be paid in the early part of the month.
- Disability grants will be paid on a different day.
- Child support, foster care, and other grants will be paid thereafter.
Payments will be made either directly to the beneficiaries’ bank account or through pay points or agents affiliated with this bank, depending on the type of grant and how the recipient is registered. Beneficiaries should ensure that their personal and banking details are up-to-date so as not to miss or have a delay in the receipt of their new amounts.
What Beneficiaries Should Do
If you already get a SASSA grant, you don’t need to apply again to get an uplift; it is done automatically. Still, you should:
- Check to see if your bank account information, residential address, or contact information require an update with SASSA so that you don’t encounter any payment problems.
- Be aware of your payment date, especially when your particular grant type is delayed to a later disbursement batch.
- Watch out for any official communication that SASSA may make regarding changes or clarifications.
Also Read: South African War Veteran Grant 2025: How To Apply, Eligibility & Payout Schedule