Other SASSA Grants 2026 — Foster Child, Care Dependency, War Veteran’s & Grant-in-Aid

Beyond the SRD, Disability, Child Support, and Old Age grants, SASSA administers four more specific grants. Here’s what each one pays and who qualifies.

• Foster Child Grant
• Care Dependency Grant
• Grant-in-Aid — Not a Standalone Grant
• War Veteran’s Grant
• FAQs
• Final Thoughts

Foster Child Grant

Amount: R1,290 per month, per child (April 2026). Who qualifies: Foster parents with a valid court order placing the child in their care. No means test applies to this grant at all. If the foster child is severely disabled, the foster parent can receive the Care Dependency Grant for that child as well — bringing the combined monthly total to R3,690 (R1,290 + R2,400), a detail most guides don’t spell out. How to apply: Visit your nearest SASSA office with the court order, the child’s documentation, and your own ID. Notify SASSA of any changes to your or the child’s circumstances — this affects ongoing eligibility. Here’s how that compares to every other SASSA grant type:

Care Dependency Grant

Amount: R2,400 per month (April 2026). Who qualifies: Primary caregivers of a child under 18 who has been found permanently and severely disabled by a medical officer, requiring full-time care. You must be a South African citizen, permanent resident, or refugee, and both you and the child must live in South Africa. Means test: This grant has its own, separate threshold — higher than the Older Person’s and Disability grants, and based on income only with no separate asset test. Foster parents are exempt. See our Means Test guide for the exact threshold and a free eligibility calculator.

Grant-in-Aid — Not a Standalone Grant

Amount: R580 per month. Important: This is the grant people most often misunderstand. The Grant-in-Aid cannot be applied for on its own — it’s an additional top-up paid only to people who already receive the Older Person’s Grant, Disability Grant, or War Veteran’s Grant, and who need full-time care from another person due to their physical or mental condition. How it works: The Grant-in-Aid is paid to the person receiving the main grant, not directly to their caregiver. You’ll need a medical assessment confirming the need for full-time care to apply for this top-up.

War Veteran’s Grant

Amount: R2,420 per month (April 2026) — the same as the Older Person’s Grant for ages 75+. Who qualifies: South African war veterans who meet the relevant service criteria and pass the standard means test. This grant is paid to a relatively small, specific group of beneficiaries.

FAQs

• How much is the Foster Child Grant in 2026? R1,290 per month per child, with no means test.
• How much is the Care Dependency Grant in 2026? R2,400 per month.
• Can I apply for the Grant-in-Aid by itself? No — it’s only available as a top-up to an existing Older Person’s, Disability, or War Veteran’s Grant.
• How much is the War Veteran’s Grant? R2,420 per month.
• What’s the means test for the Care Dependency Grant? A separate, higher threshold than the Older Person’s or Disability grants — see our Means Test guide for the exact figures.
• Can foster parents also get the Child Support Grant? No — Foster Child Grant and Child Support Grant are separate; foster parents use the Foster Child Grant instead, which has no means test at all.

Final Thoughts

These four grants serve more specific groups than SASSA’s main grants, but each follows the same in-person application process at your nearest SASSA office. Two details worth remembering: the Grant-in-Aid only works as a top-up to an existing grant — it’s never a standalone application — and the Care Dependency Grant’s means test threshold is notably higher than you might expect, since it’s assessed separately from the Older Person’s and Disability grants. For more on how SASSA grants work generally, see our What Is SASSA guide; for every grant’s means test side by side, see our Means Test guide; to apply for SRD specifically, see our Application guide; and for every official contact channel, see our Contact guide.