In 2025 South Africa’s social security institution, SASSA, finally launched a new social grants program that affected children’s grants among other categories as a reaction to the high cost of living. A 2025 budget taking effect this year was the one responsible for the changes that not only affected the amount of money disbursed but also the criteria of recipient selection. The caregivers have been given a presentation concerning the new changes to child grants which include eligibility and control measures.
New Payment Amounts
One significant factor was the advancement of Kids Support Grant. Starting from April 1, 2025, the amount of R 560 will be given per child instead of R 530 to only one child per family. Other children’s categories like grants for children, dependency, and fostering have also undergone an increase.
- The Foster Care Grant is now R 1,250, which is R 70 more than the previous R 1,180.
- The Care Dependency Grant given to families with disabled kids is now at R 2,315 (the same as the social grant rises) as it is upped to be on the same level as the regular disability/dependency grants.
- The Grant-in-Aid for caregivers needing extra help is also being raised from R 530 to R 560.
Besides that, it is slated, starting in October 2025, the major grants like old age, disability, and care dependency will see a gradual increase of R 10 so that eventually it will reach R 2,320 (or R 2,340 in some categories). Child grants including support, foster, etc. will remain at their levels as of April and will not face any changes.
Eligibility & Means Test Changes
Recent SASSA updates have brought about a significant alteration in the eligibility criteria and social assistance amounts and thresholds. The most significant of all was the amendment for Child Support Grant that changed the means test threshold. A single caregiver’s threshold is now R 67,200 per year (~R 5,600~ monthly) and married ones are R 134,400. SASSA’s 2025 press release highlights the importance of means testing in grant administration, stating that it is above the already mentioned documents that caregivers are supposed to present proof of income, bank statements, proof of residency, etc. when applying for the grant. Very importantly, SASSA is actively doing background checks of the grant data to verify eligibility; however, the agency has assured that there will not be large-scale denials or stoppage of child grants solely because of the review. The problem is still there in that the beneficiaries must respond to the official requests for updating their records or else they may suffer in terms of delayed payments.
Administration & Payment Schedule
SASSA has announced that social grants for children and for all other purposes are usually paid out in the first week of the month. For example, June 5th, 2025, children’s grants were released for June 2025. Moreover, SASSA has resolved a misunderstanding regarding social media allegations of double payments in June. Thus, it has formally taken a position on this matter. The recipients of social grants have the option of direct deposit to their bank accounts, on a SASSA card, or pick-up at designated points. SASSA has strongly advised their clients to avoid withdrawing their entire bonus at once, since this will significantly reduce the risk of robbery and will facilitate plastic money transactions at the cash payment points, thereby preventing large crowds from forming.
key Takeaways And What Caregivers Should Do
- Topics and the preferred manners of the caregivers’ handling
- After the April adjustment, the monthly Child Support Grant per baby became R 560.
- The same value increase is also applied to the Foster care and Care dependency grants.
- The means test has undergone a change and the new free allowance for qualifying is R 67,200/year for single caregivers and R 134,400/year for couples.
- SASSA will not completely cut off child grants during the record-checking process but the processing of those who do not meet the requirement of updating their details may be delayed.
also read : Double SASSA Grant Increase In 2025: Updated Payment Schedule & New Rates