SASSA Grant Increases 2026/27 — What Changed and By How Much

Following the February 2026 Budget Speech, SASSA confirmed new grant amounts effective from 1 April 2026. Here’s exactly what changed.

• What Increased
• What Stayed the Same
• Why the Increases Vary by Grant
• What This Means for You
• FAQs
• Final Thoughts

What Increased

Effective 1 April 2026:

Grant	Old Amount	New Amount	Increase
Older Person’s Grant	R2,320	R2,400	+R80
Disability Grant	R2,320	R2,400	+R80
Care Dependency Grant	R2,320	R2,400	+R80
War Veteran’s Grant	R2,340	R2,420	+R80
Foster Child Grant	R1,250	R1,290	+R40
Child Support Grant	R560	R580	+R20
Grant-in-Aid	R560	R580	+R20

So, the Older Person’s, Disability, and Care Dependency grants saw the largest rand increase (+R80), while Child Support and Grant-in-Aid saw the smallest (+R20) — generally, larger grants moved slightly above inflation while smaller grants moved closer to it.

A second increase is already confirmed for later in the year: the Foster Child Grant rises again on 1 October 2026, from R1,290 to R1,300 (+R10) — a smaller, mid-year top-up on top of the April increase already in the table above.

What Stayed the Same

The SRD R370 grant remains unchanged at R370 per month — the third consecutive year without an increase, even as every other grant type rose. The 2026 Budget allocated an additional R36.4 billion specifically to extend SRD payments through 31 March 2027, but at the existing amount, not a higher one.

Why the Increases Vary by Grant

Treasury’s budget review explained the social grant allocation was adjusted with “improved grant targeting and verification” in mind, expected to yield savings of R2 billion in 2026/27. Increases are generally linked to inflation (CPI), with larger grants like the old age pension and disability grant typically receiving slightly above-CPI increases, while smaller grants like child support move at or below CPI.

What This Means for You

If you receive any grant except SRD, the new amount applied automatically from your April 2026 payment — no action was needed on your part. If you receive SRD, your payment amount has not changed, though the grant itself is confirmed to continue through March 2027.

FAQs

• Did the SRD grant increase in 2026? No — it remains at R370, frozen for the third year running.
• How much did the Old Age Grant increase by? R80, from R2,320 to R2,400.
• Do I need to apply for the increase? No — increases are applied automatically to existing grants.
• When did the 2026 increases take effect? 1 April 2026.
• Why didn’t SRD get an increase? The budget prioritized extending SRD’s funding period (through March 2027) over increasing its amount.
• Is there another increase coming later in 2026? Yes — the Foster Child Grant specifically rises again on 1 October 2026, from R1,290 to R1,300.

Final Thoughts

Most SASSA grants received a modest, automatic increase from April 2026, with the Older Person’s, Disability, and Care Dependency grants seeing the largest rand increase at +R80. SRD remains the one exception, staying at R370 while its funding period was extended instead. If you receive the Foster Child Grant specifically, remember there’s a second, smaller increase already confirmed for October 2026.

For the full SRD grant picture, see our SRD Grant Overview; for why the SRD amount specifically stays frozen, see our Basic Income Support debate guide; and for all 8 SASSA grant types, see our What Is SASSA guide.