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Has the R350 grant been increased?

Applicants of the R350 SRD grant are holding out hope that the proposed increase of the maximum allowable income to R624 will be successfully implemented.

The R350 COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant is intended for the poorest of the poor and was introduced to assist citizens who have been severely affected by the pandemic.

The R350 amount has been a somewhat controversial matter, as many have raised concerns that the grant is not sufficient for beneficiaries.

R350 grant increase

There have been several calls for the monthly R350 grant to be increased. The recipients of the grant have noted that as a monthly grant, this was often too little for them to get all the basics they needed to survive, and they have repeatedly requested that the amount be increased.

Has the R350 grant been increased?

The Department of Social Development issued a media statement on 14 July 2022, with the proposed amendment to the regulations of the special COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress grant for the period of 1 March 2022 to 31 March 2023.

In the statement, it confirmed that the department would be following the implementation of the new regulations as well as proposing an increase to the maximum allowable income of the SRD grant from R350 to the food poverty line of R624.

This announcement will surely make a difference for recipients of the grant, given that this amount is in line with the food poverty line, so they will be able to afford much more than they previously could with the monthly R350.

What would this increase mean for applicants?

Should this be approved, SASSA will be tasked with declining applications from people who receive more than R624 in their bank accounts each month. The assessment will be conducted monthly and if an applicant’s income is below R624 for a particular month, they will qualify.

The R350 amount will remain unchanged

The grant will remain at R350 per month per person for the remaining period of the grant. Until then, applicants can expect to receive their R350 grant amount.

Amendments to the bank verification process

The Department of Social Development says that in its third amendment, it will be removing the clause that states that bank verification is the main criteria for determining eligibility for the grant.

This is to ensure that SASSA applies all database checks, including income checks, before approving or declining applications.

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