The Department of Social Development (DSD) has gazetted the increases to South Africa’s social grant regime, which will come into effect next Wednesday, 1 April 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The social assistance grant increases are in line with the changes announced by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana at the 2026 Budget Speech in February.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Grants will increase by R20 to R80 per month, with the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant remaining at R370 and payments continuing until next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Social grants constitute the largest share of spending on social development. For 2026\/27, social grants have been allocated R292.8 billion – 3.6% of GDP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The SRD grant\u00a0has been allocated an additional R36.4 billion to extend payments until 31 March 2027 at the current rate of R370 per beneficiary per month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Excluding the social relief of distress grant, spending on grants is increasing from R246.6 billion in 2025\/26 to R276.5 billion in 2028\/29.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Around 8.2 million people currently benefit from the SRD grant, with 26.5 million grant recipients overall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
South Africans can expect the SRD grant to undergo significant changes in 2026 as it is reformed and developed into a permanent jobseeker’s grant throughout the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While standard SRD payments will continue until the end of the financial year, they are expected to be discontinued and replaced by a Basic Income Support (BIS) grant in 2027.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The DSD recently noted that it was consulting with the National Treasury on the new grant, with a draft policy on the BIS and consultations expected to be finalised by the end of March.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The new grant is intended to align with broader employment and social protection strategies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The DSD said this will likely align with linking beneficiaries aged 18 to 59 with employment, training, and enterprise opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is essential to transform grants from instruments of survival into tools of empowerment, it said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
President Cyril Ramaphosa has also confirmed that the grant will be a jobseeker’s grant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Delivering the keynote address at the News24 On the Record Summit last week, the president said the state wants to use the grant to help tackle the country’s unemployment crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBy redesigning the Social Relief of Distress Grant, we will ensure that those receiving the grant have access to a wide range of support to search for work<\/strong> and to sustain a livelihood,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe must continue to strengthen our social protection system to reach all unemployed South Africans with a basic level of support.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The grant increases are as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The increases will be effected on 1 April 2026 and 1 October 2026 respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The gazette can be found below.<\/p>\n\n\n\nGrant<\/th> 2025 value<\/th> 2026 value<\/th> Change<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> Older Persons grant<\/td> R2,320<\/td> R2,400<\/td> +R80<\/td><\/tr> Older Persons 75+ grant<\/td> R2,340<\/td> R2,420<\/td> +R80<\/td><\/tr> War veterans grant<\/td> R2,340<\/td> R2,420<\/td> +R80<\/td><\/tr> Disability grant<\/td> R2,320<\/td> R2,400<\/td> +R80<\/td><\/tr> Foster care grant<\/td> R1,250<\/td> R1,290*<\/td> +R40<\/td><\/tr> Care dependency grant<\/td> R2,320<\/td> R2,400<\/td> +R80<\/td><\/tr> Child support grant<\/td> R560<\/td> R580<\/td> +R20<\/td><\/tr> Child Support (Top-Up)<\/td> R560 + R280<\/td> R560 + R290<\/td> +R20 + R10<\/td><\/tr> Grant-in-aid<\/td> R560<\/td> R580<\/td> +R20<\/td><\/tr> SRD grant<\/td> R370<\/td> R370<\/td> –<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div>