Grant for someone who needs full-time care (Grant-in-Aid) | Western Cape Government

Grant for someone who needs full-time care (Grant-in-Aid)

Elderly woman in frail careWhat is a grant-in-aid?

If you’re unable to care for yourself, to the point where you need full-time care from someone else, then you may qualify for an additional monthly payment from the government called a grant-in-aid. You can’t get a grant-in-aid on its own; it must be in addition to you receiving an old age, disability or war veteran's grant.

You won’t be able to apply for a grant-in-aid if you’re living in any kind of state-subsidised institution.

What are the requirements for applying for a grant-in-aid?

The same requirements that apply to your main grant, apply to the grant-in-aid. You must also have a valid medical report or assessment report (less than 3 months old), which shows that you need full-time care. This can be from a private doctor and doesn’t have to be from a state doctor. You can apply for the grant-in-aid at the same time as when you apply for the main grant.

How much is the grant-in-aid?

The amount of the grant-in-aid changes every year. In October 2016 the grant was R350 per month. Please contact your nearest SASSA office for the current 2017 amount of the grant-in-aid. Remember that it will be paid to you, the beneficiary, and not to any third party. 

How do I apply for the grant-in-aid?

You can apply for the grant-in-aid by filling in an application form at your nearest South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) or counter service point of a regional office. You don’t need to pay anything to make the application.

You’ll be interviewed, have your fingerprints taken and given information on whether you qualify for the grant. You’ll also need to show certain documents and provide the following information: 

  • Your South African identity document (ID), which must be bar-coded.
  • Your medical report or medical assessment report.
  • Information about your marital status:
    • If you’re single, an affidavit stating that you’re single.
    • If you’re married, your marriage certificate.
    • If you’re divorced, your divorce order.
    • If your spouse is dead, your spouse's death certificate

woman and carerIf you can’t go to make the application yourself, a friend or family member can bring a letter from you and a doctor's note saying why you can't visit the office yourself. A home visit may then be arranged.

When you make the application, you should say how you would like the money to be paid. The money can be paid out in cash on specific days at a pay point, or you can get the money electronically paid into your bank account. Remember that normal bank charges can apply to any money going in and out of your bank account. You can decide to change the payment method at any time by filling in a form at a SASSA office, but the change will only happen a month later.

It will take about 30 working days for your application to be processed and checked and either approved or refused. If your application is refused, you’ll get a letter explaining why it has been refused and how you can appeal.

If it’s approved, you’ll start getting payments within 3 months. The payments will be backdated to the day you applied for the grant. You can find out about the status of your application as well as when you can expect payment by telephoning the toll-free SASSA telephone number 0800 601 011.

When will the grant-in-aid not be paid?

The grant-in-aid will be cancelled if you’re no longer in the care of another person, if you die, if you’re admitted to a state institution, or if your income or assets improve so much that you no longer qualify in terms of the means test.

General enquiries:

If you have any questions regarding the grant-in-aid you can contact the following offices:

South African Social Security Agency 
Toll-free help line: 0800 601 011 for information on:

  • Pay-out dates.
  • Qualifying rules for all government grants.
  • District office addresses and contact numbers.
  • Help with what has happened to your application.
  • How you can also report any fraud or corruption.

Useful information:

You and your grants 2017/2018 (This is a booklet in pdf format that contains information about the types of grants, requirements for grants, a means test etc.)

Report social grant fraud and corruption: 080 0601 011/ 080 0701 701

The content on this page was last updated on 24 November 2017