What is the R350 grant?
The whole world was affected by COVID-19 in 2020, and South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa introduced a special disaster relief grant of R350 per month. Social relief of distress grants are temporary and are meant for people that are unable to meet their basic needs.
How to track your application status
There are three ways for you to track your application status.
The first way is to track it via the website: https://srd.sassa.gov.za/sc19/status
Once you’re on the website, scroll down to Application Status, and click on ‘Click here to check online’. Fill in your information and click on submit. You will then see your application status.
The second way is to check via WhatsApp. Add GovChat to WhatsApp with this number 082 046 8553, and send a message saying ‘status’. You will receive a message back with the status of your application.
The third way to check is by calling the call centre on the toll-free number: 0800 60 10 11
How to apply for the R350 social relief of distress grant
Applying for the grant is quite simple, and there are multiple ways you can apply. When applying you need to provide the following information:
- Your full name and surname
- Your ID number or home affairs permit number
- Your gender
- Your disability status
- Your contact details
- Your full address
- Your bank details
You aren’t required to send in any supporting documents such as your ID, proof of address, or bank statements. However, you are required to sign a declaration of consent which allows SASSA to verify all the information that you provided. Applications for the grant are free and you can also apply if you don’t have a bank account.
The various ways you can apply for the R350 grant are as follows:
- Apply via the website: https://srd.sassa.gov.za
- Enter your ID number and cellphone number
- You will receive an OTP that you need to enter and click Verify
- Agree to the terms and conditions and complete your information
- Apply via WhatsApp
- Send a WhatsApp message to 082 046 8553
- The chat will prompt you to provide your personal details
- You will receive a reference number, an OTP, and a website link
- Click on the link and insert the OTP, and click Verify
- Provide your Surname and ID number and confirm your details as per the details provided in the chat
- Go on to step 2, and agree to the terms and conditions
- Apply via the SASSA Chat Bot
- Open your internet browser and search for www.sassa.gov.za
- Click on the SRD R350 grant assistance chatbox
- Provide your ID number and cellphone number
- Choose ‘I want to apply for SRD R350 grant’
- The chatbot will then give you a link to the SRD website and you can follow the steps on the website
- Apply via USSD
- Enter this USSD code on your phone: *134*7737#
- Follow the prompts
Who is eligible for the SRD grant?
To be eligible for the COVID-19 R350 grant, applicants must be:
- South African citizens, permanent residents or refugees registered with Home Affairs
- Resident within the borders of the Republic of South Africa
- Older than 18 years old
- Unemployed
- Not receiving any income
- Not receiving any social grant
- Not receiving any unemployment insurance benefits and does not qualify to receive unemployment insurance benefits
- Not receiving a stipend from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme;
- Not receiving any other government COVID-19 response support
- Not resident in a government-funded or subsidised institution
Grant Application Requirements
The information required for you to apply for the grant is your basic information, including:
- Your ID number
- Your name and surname as shown on your ID
- Your gender
- Your disability status
- Your contact details
- Your residential address
- Your bank details
SASSA SRD Payment of Grant
There are various payment methods available. These include your bank account, the South African Post Office, and CashSend.
To receive payment directly into your bank account, you will need to provide your banking details:
- Choose your bank name
- Provide your account number
- Provide your bank branch name
- Provide your account type
- Agree to the Terms and Conditions
- Submit your Banking Details
If you choose CashSend, you will choose that as your option and agree to the terms and conditions.
If you chose to receive your funds via the Post Office, you will receive an SMS stating that the funds are available. You have to wait for this SMS before going to collect your money.
Read Also: NSFAS Funding: Everything You Need to Know to Apply
If you need to, you can also change your banking details:
- You will need to go to the SASSA site: https://srd.sassa.gov.za/.
- You will receive an SMS that contains a secure link. This will be sent to the cellphone number that you used during registration.
- Click on the link in the SMS and follow the instructions carefully.
- You must ensure that you are the owner of the account. SASSA can’t pay your grant into another person’s bank account.
- If you choose the money transfer option via one of the major banks, make sure that the cellphone number that you received the SMS on, is in your name. SASSA can’t pay your grant into a cellphone number that is registered to another person.
