SASSA’s Care Dependency Grant is a monthly social grant meant for parents and caregivers of infants and children (under 18 years old) with severe disabilities who are always or mostly dependent on others for care and support. The grant is designed to assist families with extra financial burden of care all kinds, including medical support, schooling, transport, and more.
SASSA, in 2025, made a change by declaring that the Care Dependency Grant would rise from R2,310 to R2,320 and this would come into effect in October 2025, where it would be part of the overall R10 increase of all social grants. Empowerment of family support funds is a form of government support that will be seen even during hard times because of small increments but counting is still up.
Who is eligible and conditions of eligibility
Applicants for the Care Dependency Grant must meet several conditions:
- They must be South African citizens, permanent residents or accepted asylum seekers residing in South Africa.
- They must be the biological parent, adoptive parent (court-appointed), or primary caregiver of the child.
- The child must be under 18 years old, not residing full-time in a state-run facility, and must have been diagnosed with a severe disability that is care-requiring throughout the day.
The caregiver (unless the adoptive parent) must not exceed the income limits set by the means test. For single caregivers, the annual income limit is R223,200, while for couples it is R446,400. Foster parents are not subject to these income restrictions.
The caregiver and the child should live in South Africa.
SASSA reserves the right to reconsider situations (health, income, care needs) at intervals. Any transformation of the child’s health or the way they are looked after may lead to re-evaluation or cutting off the benefits.
How Payments Are Made
The grant, after its approval, is disbursed monthly via one of the following channels:
- Direct deposit into a bank or Postbank account
- Cash payment at specified SASSA pay points
- Through an institution or charitable organization representing the caregiver or the child
In case the caregiver is unable to pick up the grant personally (because of health problems, lack of mobility, etc.), they can choose a proxy or authorize someone, which has to be registered with SASSA.
What Happens If Circumstances Change
Various reasons may cause the granting of the monthly allowance to be either suspended or stopped:
- The child becoming an adult, dying, or getting permanently admitted to a state institution
- Not picking up the payments for three months in a row
- Not being cooperative during the review or not providing the requested documents
- Finding out about fraudulent activities or lies in the application
- Changes in medical or care situations that no longer require a full dependency caregiver
Caregivers are entitled to appeal any rejection within a period of 90 days from the date they are informed of the decision. The appeal has to be filed with the Minister of Social Development or the concerned authority along with the reasons for reconsideration.
Also Read: SASSA Seniors Grants October 2025: No Bonus Added, Only R10 Increase Confirmed