Many older people in South Africa are having trouble making ends meet. To help them, the government has decided to increase the SASSA old-age grant from 2024 to 2025. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana announced this during the fiscal year 2024–2025 budget presentation. He said that social assistance would go up by almost 5%.
He mentioned the anticipation of around 17.5 million individuals being eligible for old age and child assistance grants in 2024–2025. Additionally, an increased number of individuals are expected to become recipients of Old Age Grants within the next three years.
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2024 SASSA Old Age Grant Increase
The Old Age Grants program gives money to South African citizens who are 60 years old or older. The most you can get monthly is R 2,090, or R2 110 if you’re over 75.
To get this grant, you must be a citizen of South Africa, a permanent resident, or a refugee. You can’t get any other social grant. Also, if you’re married, your assets can’t be more than R2 455 200. If you’re single, they can’t be more than R 2 227 600.
If you lie, cheat, or don’t cooperate when your grant is being reviewed, it could be stopped when your situation changes. The Old Age Grant increased from R390 in 1994 to R2,090 in 2024.
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How Much Will the Old Age Grant Go Up?
Due to the statements made by the ministers, beneficiaries will receive a higher amount of money compared to the previous fiscal year. The 2024-2025 SASSA pension distribution for elderly individuals is split into two segments, depending on the recipient’s age.
From October 1, 2024, individuals aged 60 to 74 will receive an increase in the Old Age Grant to R2,090 from the previous amount of R2,080. The SASSA Older Person Grant, previously R2,100, will now be R2,110 for individuals aged 75 and above.
Also, Minister Godongwana said that the government will spend more on grants because more people in South Africa are getting them.
How is the SASSA Old Age Grant Paid?
If your grant application is approved, you’ll start getting paid from the date you applied. SASSA gives out the grant in several ways. For example, they might pay you cash at a certain place on a certain day. Or, they might deposit the money electronically into your bank or Postbank account (but the bank might charge you for this). They might also give the money to places like assisted living facilities.
If you can’t get the money, you can choose someone at the SASSA office to do it for you. Or, you can give someone permission to collect the money for you. The income you reported on your application might make SASSA decide to review your grant. They’ll let you know about the review or when it’s due three months in advance.
Wrapping Up
During the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), the finance minister said that Social Development is expected to receive about R1.1 trillion. The government thinks that by March 2026, there will be 19.6 million grant recipients in South Africa, up from 18.6 million in March 2024. So, in 2025, the government will have to spend more than R10 billion on grants.
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