SRD Services
SASSA Means Test 2026 Income & Asset Limits for Every Grant
The SASSA Means Test is the check the South African Social Security Agency runs on your income and assets to decide whether you’re poor enough to receive a social grant. Every applicant for the Older Persons, Disability, War Veteran’s, Child Support, Care Dependency and SRD grants goes through it, and if you’re over the limit, SASSA declines the application. Once you know the limits and what SASSA counts, you can tell before you apply whether you’ll pass.
Which Grants Have a Means Test?
Almost every SASSA grant has a means test, but they don’t all check the same things:
The means test only decides whether you qualify. Your age, citizenship, residence and other rules still apply. Applying and being tested costs nothing, and SASSA never charges a fee.
What Are the SASSA Means Test 2026 Limits?
These are the SASSA Means Test 2026 limits for the 2026/27 financial year (April 2026 to March 2027).
Grant | Income Limit (Single) | Income Limit (Married) | Asset Limit (Single) | Asset Limit (Married) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Older Persons | ~R9,350/month (R112,200/year) | ~R18,700/month (R224,400/year) | ~R1,584,000 | ~R3,168,000 |
~R9,350/month | ~R18,700/month | ~R1,584,000 | ~R3,168,000 | |
War Veteran’s | ~R9,350/month | ~R18,700/month | ~R1,584,000 | ~R3,168,000 |
Child Support | R5,800/month (R69,600/year) | R11,600/month (R139,200/year) | No test | No test |
Care Dependency | R24,000/month (R288,000/year) | R48,000/month (R576,000/year) | No test | No test |
Foster Child | No test | No test | No test | No test |
SRD (R370) | R624/month | Individual only | Bank check | Bank check |
Limits for Adult Grants
The Older Persons, Disability and War Veteran’s grants share the same limits. These went up from R107,880 a year and R1,524,600 in assets in 2025/26. Some websites haven’t updated yet, so check the year on any page you read.
Limits for Children’s Grants
The Child Support and Care Dependency limits follow a simple rule: 10 times the grant amount for a single caregiver and 20 times for a married couple. With the Child Support Grant at R580, that gives R5,800 and R11,600. With the Care Dependency Grant at R2,400, it gives R24,000 and R48,000.
Limit for the SRD Grant
The SRD R370 grant has the lowest limit of all. Less than R624 may come into your bank account in the month SASSA checks.
The SASSA Grant amounts with “~” are approximate, so confirm the exact figure for your case with SASSA on 0800 60 10 11.
How Do You Check If You Pass?
You can work out whether you’ll pass the SASSA Means Test before you visit SASSA. Follow these five steps.
Step 1: Find the Limit for Your Grant
Find your grant in the limits table above. Use the married limit if you’re legally married, including customary and civil unions.
Step 2: Add Up Your Monthly Income
List everything that comes in regularly: wages, private pension, rent, interest, maintenance and money from relatives. If you’re married, add your spouse’s income.
Step 3: Take Off Allowed Deductions
SASSA lets you subtract:
The number you’re left with is the income SASSA tests.
Step 4: Add Up Your Assets (Adult Grants Only)
For the Older Persons, Disability and War Veteran’s grants, add up savings, investments and any property you own other than the home you live in. If you’re married, include your spouse’s assets.
Step 5: Compare and Gather Proof
If both totals are under the limit, you should pass. Gather your proof before you apply:
Tip: Bring proof of your deductions too, such as a medical aid statement. It can bring your counted income under the limit.
What Does SASSA Count in the Means Test?
SASSA looks at two things: your income and, for adult grants, your assets. Knowing exactly what’s included and what’s left out is the key to passing the SASSA Means Test.
Income
Income is anything you receive regularly. Most people who fail the SASSA Means Test do so because they forgot about an income source.
Income SASSA Includes
Deductions SASSA Allows
Pension fund and retirement annuity contributions, income tax, medical aid and UIF contributions are subtracted before SASSA compares your income with the limit.
Money That Isn’t Counted
Note: if someone repays a loan to you, SASSA may count those repayments as income. Declare them and tell SASSA when the loan is paid off.
Assets
Assets only matter for the Older Persons, Disability and War Veteran’s grants.
Assets SASSA Includes
Assets SASSA Excludes
So the asset test mainly catches people with large savings or several properties, not ordinary homeowners.
How Is Your Grant Amount Worked Out?
Passing the means test is step one. For adult grants, your income and marital status also decide how much you actually get each month.
What Is the Sliding Scale?
The Older Persons, Disability and War Veteran’s grants use a sliding scale. Passing the SASSA Means Test doesn’t always mean you get the full R2,400.
Full Grant vs Partial Grant
A Simple Example
Thandi is 66 and single. She has no income apart from a small rent of R800 a month from a backyard room. She’s well under the limit, so she gets close to or the full R2,400. Her neighbour Sipho is 64 and has a private pension of R8,500 a month. He’s still under the R9,350 limit, but his income is high, so SASSA pays him a much smaller partial grant.
SASSA calculates the exact partial amount using a formula in the regulations, so ask the official to explain your figure if you get less than the full grant.
How Are Married Couples Assessed?
If you’re married, the SASSA Means Test looks at both of you together.
If both spouses are 60 or older and pass, each of you gets your own Older Persons Grant. If your spouse already receives a grant, SASSA doesn’t count their grant as part of your income.
Separated but not divorced? SASSA may still treat you as married. Bring a court order, a divorce decree or an affidavit explaining your situation.
How Does the SRD Means Test Work?
The SRD R370 grant uses a different and much stricter check.
Monthly Bank Checks
SASSA doesn’t just test you once. It checks your bank account every month and approves or declines each month separately. If more than R624 comes into your account in a month, that month is declined.
What SASSA Checks for SRD
What to Do If You’re Declined
Log in at srd.sassa.gov.za to see the reason. If you think it’s wrong, lodge an appeal at srd.dsd.gov.za within 30 days of the decision.
Many SRD declines happen because a relative sent money through your account. That money counts as income, so a declined month doesn’t mean SASSA made a mistake. You can still qualify again in a later month when your deposits are under R624.
How Does SASSA Check Your Income?
SASSA doesn’t just take your word for it. It compares your declaration with official records.
Source | What It Shows | Grants Checked |
|---|---|---|
Banks | Deposits, balances, savings | All grants, especially SRD |
SARS | Taxable income and employment | All means-tested grants |
UIF | Unemployment benefits | SRD, adult grants |
NSFAS | Student funding | SRD |
Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF) | Government pensions | Older Persons, Disability |
PERSAL (state payroll) | Government salaries | All grants |
Deeds Office | Property you own | Adult grants |
So, declaring everything honestly is the best way to pass, because SASSA will find any income you leave out, and hiding it can turn a simple decline into a fraud case.
What If You Fail the Means Test?
Failing the SASSA Means Test isn’t the end of the road.
Ask SASSA to Reconsider
If you think SASSA made a mistake, for example it counted income that’s excluded, ask for a reconsideration within 90 days of the decision. Bring proof, such as a medical aid statement or a bond certificate.
Appeal to the Tribunal
If SASSA still declines, you can appeal to the Independent Tribunal for Social Assistance Appeals through the Department of Social Development within 90 days of that decision.
Reapply When Your Situation Changes
If you lose your job, retire, get divorced or your spouse dies, your income may drop below the limit. Reapply then. There’s no waiting period between applications.
Tips for the SASSA Means Test
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the SASSA Means Test 2026?
The SASSA Means Test is SASSA’s check of your income and assets to see if you qualify for a social grant. If you’re over the limit for your grant, SASSA declines the application.
What is the income limit for the Older Persons Grant in 2026?
The income limit is about R9,350 a month (R112,200 a year) for a single person and about R18,700 a month (R224,400 a year) for a married couple.
What is the asset limit for SASSA grants in 2026?
For the Older Persons, Disability and War Veteran’s grants, the asset limit is about R1,584,000 for a single person and R3,168,000 for a married couple. Children’s grants have no asset test.
What is the income limit for the Child Support Grant?
The Child Support Grant income limit is R5,800 a month for a single caregiver and R11,600 a month for a married couple, from April 2026.
Does my house count in the SASSA means test?
No. The home you live in is excluded from the asset test. A property with a bond registered over it is also treated as having zero value.
Which SASSA grant has no means test?
The Foster Child Grant is the only grant with no means test. Your income and assets don’t affect it.
Does my spouse’s income count?
Yes. If you’re married, SASSA adds both spouses’ income and assets and uses the married limit. Your spouse’s own social grant, if they have one, isn’t counted as income.
What is the SRD means test limit?
For the SRD R370 grant, less than R624 may come into your bank account in the month SASSA checks. SASSA checks every month separately.
Does money from family count as income?
Yes. Regular financial help from relatives counts as income for all grants. For the SRD grant, even a once-off deposit can push you over R624 in that month.
What deductions are allowed in the means test?
SASSA lets you subtract pension fund and retirement annuity contributions, income tax, medical aid contributions and UIF contributions from your income.
Why did I get less than the full Older Persons Grant?
SASSA uses a sliding scale. If you have private income that’s under the limit but not small, you get a partial grant. Ask the official to show you the calculation.
Can I work and still pass the SASSA means test?
Yes, if your income after deductions is under the limit for your grant. Many working caregivers qualify for the Child Support Grant, for example.
How does SASSA check my income?
SASSA compares your declaration with banks, SARS, UIF, NSFAS, the Government Employees Pension Fund, the state payroll and the Deeds Office.
What happens if I fail the SASSA means test?
You can ask SASSA to reconsider within 90 days, then appeal to the Independent Tribunal for Social Assistance Appeals within 90 days. You can also reapply if your income drops later.
Do I have to tell SASSA if my income changes?
Yes. You must report changes within three months. If you keep getting a grant you no longer qualify for, SASSA can make you pay it back.
Final Thoughts
The SASSA Means Test decides who qualifies for most grants, using income limits for every grant and asset limits for the adult grants. Your home, a bonded property and your spouse’s grant don’t count against you, while deductions like pension and medical aid lower your counted income. The SRD grant is the strictest, with a monthly R624 bank check.
I really suggest you work through the five steps above before you visit SASSA, and bring proof of every income source and deduction. Declaring everything honestly is the surest way to pass the SASSA Means and avoid problems later. If you’re unsure about your own figures, leave a question in the comments and I’ll help you work it out.