Set down by the South African Social Security Agency, up to this measure of millions of such citizens are supported by several grants of South Africa. Most popular among them are the Disability Grant, Older person’s Grant, and Child Support Grant. Most of all, the people who receive such assistance have a common question: can they work under such grants and whether there are new rules on this?
Historically, SASSA grants were constructed to cover persons who were actually unemployed or constrained in earning an income due to old age, physical disability, or responsibility for care of another person. The economy, however, has changed and more and more people receiving SA grants want to work part-time or full-time to supplement this income. Hence, what are the current laws regarding working while in receipt of a SASSA grant?
Understanding SASSA Grants and Eligibility
To accept a SASSA grant, you must be an eligible party in terms of specific income criteria, and such grants are dependent on financial circumstances. The Older Person’s Grant applicant must be aged 60 years and above with little or no income; similarly, those above the age of 18 and cannot work due to a physical or mental disability qualify for the Disability Grant. The Child Support Grant is awarded to caregivers of children under 18 years of age who are financially incapacitated.
However, the defining point while working on such grants is whether the income of the earner goes beyond the SASSA’s limits set for each grant.
Updated Rules for Working While Receiving a Grant.
These rules, which were updated by SASSA and took effect in 2024, have spelt out the ways in which recipients could earn some income while at the same time keeping their eligibility for the grants. Here goes a summary of some of the important keys:
Income Thresholds: The first condition under which a person may continue receiving a grant while working is that person’s gross income must not exceed a particular monthly threshold. For the Older Person’s Grant, recipients below 75 years of age are allowed to earn up to R5,000 while those aged 75 and above are allowed to earn up to R8,000. For the Disability Grant, this income threshold is also R5,000 monthly.
Reporting Income: It is important for all grant recipients to report to SASSA any income earned. This includes income from formal employment, casual work, and self-employment. Failure to report the income can result in overpayment of the pension, which will have to be recovered, and may also lead to the cancellation of the grant.
Part-time and freelance work: The amended rules permit recipients to undertake part-time or freelance work, since the income is not above the stated limits. This is a drastic move away from rules forbidding the recipient from taking up any employment.
On the Child Support Grant
This Child Support Grant has the lowest income limit and that is when an income of the caregiver goes above the set limitation of around R44,000 per annum they seize to be eligible to the grant. Thus the characteristics associated to work while receiving a Child Support Grant remain quite unchanged but with focus on household income.
Other Help with Social Payments: All other categories of social assistance such as Care Dependency Grant or Foster Care Grant allow an individual to work under specific monetary thresholds while receiving the grants. Generally, admissions criteria differ among the various grants as do conditions related to minimum income disclosure.
Also Read: 2025 SASSA Child Grant Increase: New Payment Amounts and Eligibility Criteria
Also Read: These Are The SASSA Payment Dates For January 2025, See Full List
