The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) has released the official payment schedule for social grants for the 2026/2027 financial year, providing beneficiaries with clarity on when to expect their monthly payments.
Image credit: Sassa
In a statement, the agency said the release of the payment schedule followed approval by the National Treasury on Friday, 20 March.
For April, older persons will be paid on 2 April, followed by disability grant beneficiaries on 7 April, and children’s grant recipients on 8 April.
In May, older persons will receive their grants on 5 May, disability grants on 6 May, and children’s grants on 7 May 2026.
“The general principle for determining the grant payment dates for social grants is to ensure they are paid as early in the month as possible, staggered over three days.
"In most months, the old age grant will be paid on the second of each month, disability grant on the third of the month and the children's grants on the fourth of the month,” the agency said.
However, the agency said that to ensure the optimal functioning of the National Payment System and access to funds by grant beneficiaries, the following are also considered:
- Payments should not be made a day after a holiday.
- Payments should not be made on the first of the month or on a Monday.
- Payment dates should not fall at a weekend.
In addition, if any payment date falls on a weekend or public holiday, the payment will take effect on the following working day.
Meanwhile, as announced by the Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana, during his Budget Speech last month, social grants from April will increase as follows:
- Older Persons Grant, Disability Grant and Care Dependency Grant will increase by R80 to R2,400.
- War Veterans Grant will increase by R80 to R2,420.
- Foster Child Grant will increase by R40 to R1,290.
- Child Support Grant and Grant-In-Aid will increase by R20 to R580
“Sassa reiterates its commitment to paying social grants to eligible beneficiaries at the right time and appeals to all beneficiaries who may have not received their grants on these specified dates to visit their nearest Sassa local office for assistance,” the agency said.
