• Social Assistance Act, 2004 (Act No. 13 of 2004)
  • Notice No. 714 of 2004
  • Act
  • Preamble
  • Chapter 1 : Definitions, Application and Objects of Act
    • 1. Definitions
    • 2. Application and implementation of Act
    • 3. Objects of Act
  • Chapter 2 : Social Assistance
    • 4. Provision of social assistance
    • 5. Eligibility for social assistance
    • 6. Child support grant
    • 7. Care dependency grant
    • 8. Foster child grant
    • 9. Disability grant
    • 10. Older persons grant
    • 11. War veterans' grant
    • 12. Grant-in-Aid
    • 12A. Additional payments
    • 13. Social relief of distress
  • Chapter 3 : Administration of Social Assistance
    • 14. Application for social assistance
    • 15. Appointment of procurator
    • 16. Discontinuation of payments to beneficiaries absent from Republic
    • 17. Recovery of sums overpaid
    • 18. Appeal against decision of Agency
    • 19. Abuse of social grants
    • 20. Restrictions on transfer of rights and payments of social assistance
    • 21. False representations
    • 22. Information to be furnished to Agency by third parties
    • 23. Power of Agency to investigate
  • Chapter 4 : Inspectorate for Social Assistance
    • 24. Inspectorate for Social Assistance
    • 25. Independence of Inspectorate
    • 26. Funding and employees of Inspectorate
    • 27. Functions of Inspectorate
    • 28. Power of Inspectorate to request information and to subpoena
  • Chapter 5 : General Provisions
    • 29. Delegation
    • 30. Offences
    • 31. Penalties
    • 32. Regulations
    • 33. Repeal of laws and transitional arrangements
    • 34. Short title and commencement
• Regulations
  • Regulations in terms of the Social Assistance Act, 2004 (Act No. 13 of 2004)
    • Notice No. R. 162 of 2005
    • 1. Definitions
    • Chapter 1 : Eligibility for Social Assistance
      • 2. Persons eligible for an Older Person's Grant
      • 3. Persons eligible for a Disability Grant
      • 4. Persons eligible for a Child Support Grant
      • 5. Persons eligible for a Foster Child Grant
      • 6. Persons eligible for a Care-Dependency Grant
      • 7. Persons eligible for a War Veteran's Grant
      • 8. Persons eligible for a Grant-In-Aid
      • 9. Persons eligible for Social Relief of Distress
    • Chapter 2 : Application for Social Assistance
      • 10. Documents to accompany applications for social grants
      • 11. Procedures to be followed in application for grants
      • 12. Notification of outcome
      • 13. Date of application for social grants
      • 14. Documents to accompany the application for social relief of distress
      • 15. Procedure to be followed in the application for Social Relief of Distress
      • 16. Notification of outcome of application for Social Relief of Distress
      • 17. Date of application for Social Relief of Distress
    • Chapter 3 : Appeals
      • 18. Appeals
    • Chapter 4 : Determination of Income Thresholds
      • 19. Determination of the amount
      • 20. Determination of assets
      • 21. Permissible deductions when calculating an applicant's means
      • 22. Determination of the financial criteria for a Child Support Grant
      • 23. Determination of the amount and the period of Social Relief of Distress
    • Chapter 5 : Payments of Grants
      • 24. Methods of payment of grants
      • 25. Appointment of procurator
      • 26. Conditions for appointment of a procurator by the Agency
    • Chapter 6 : Additional Requirements or Conditions for Social Assistance
      • 27. Determination of means
    • Chapter 7 : Conditions applicable to a person in receipt of a Grant
      • 28. Special conditions regarding Child Support Grant
      • 29. Special conditions regarding Foster Child Grant
      • 30. Special conditions regarding Care Dependency Grant
      • 31. Powers of the Agency to suspend or vary the amount of grant on review
      • 32. Lapsing of grants and unclaimed benefits
    • Chapter 8 : Abuse of Social Assistance received on behalf of the beneficiary
      • 33. Measures to curb abuse of social assistance received on behalf of a beneficiary
    • Chapter 9 : Appointment of a Person to receive a Grant in the case of death of a Primary Caregiver
      • 34. Continuation of a social grant in the case of death of a primary caregiver
      • 35. Information to be furnished by an organ of State to the Agency relating to the app
      • 36. Information to be furnished to the Agency or the Inspectorate by a financial insti
      • 37. Circumstances under which the Agency may continue payment of a grant
      • 38. Conditions under which deductions may be made directly from social grants
      • 39. Procedures to be followed for suspension and cancellation of grants
    • Chapter 10 : General Responsibilities
      • 40. General responsibilities of the Agency and other persons
      • 41. General responsibilities of a member of staff on behalf of the Agency
      • 42. General responsibilities of medical officers
      • 43. General responsibilities of persons who perform a function on behalf of the Agency
    • Chapter 11 : Standard Rules and Procedures Applicable at Pay-Points
      • 44. Prohibition of creditors and other persons enforcing debts within the area of a pay-point
      • 45. Prohibition against conducting money-lending business at pay-points
      • 46. Accreditation of persons accompanying beneficiaries to pay-points
      • 47. General obligations of persons accompanying beneficiaries to pay-points
      • 48. Faith-based, welfare, community-based, nongovernmental organisations and community service workers
      • 49.  Compliance for well-being of a beneficiary
      • 50. Requirements for well-being of a beneficiary
    • Chapter 12 : Offences And Penalties
      • 51. Person who commits an offence
      • 52. Conversion of grants
      • 53. Payment of reduced grants to persons maintained in certain institutions
      • 54. Transitional provisions
      • 55. Repeal of regulations
      • 56. Short title and date of commencement
  • [Repealed] Regulations relating to the Application for and Payment of Social Assistance and the requirements or conditions in respect of eligibility for Social Assistance
    • Notice No. R. 898 of 2008
    • 1. Definitions
    • Chapter 1 : General Requirements for Eligibility to Qualify for Social Assistance
      • 2. Persons eligible for older person's grant
      • 3. Persons eligible for disability grant
      • 4. Persons eligible for war veteran's grant
      • 5. Persons eligible for grant-in-aid
      • 6. Persons eligible for child support grant
      • 7. Persons eligible for foster child grant
      • 8. Persons eligible for care-dependency grant
      • 9. Persons eligible for social relief of distress
    • Chapter 2 : Application for Social Assistance
      • 10. Procedure to be followed in application for social grant
      • 11. Documents to accompany application for social grant
      • 12. Date of application for social grant
      • 13. Notification of outcome
      • 14. Procedure to be followed in application for social relief of distress
      • 15. Documents to accompany application for social relief of distress
      • 16. Determination of amount and period of social relief of distress
      • 16A. Exceptional circumstances under which social relief of distress may be provided
    • Chapter 3 : Determination of financial criteria
      • 17. Date of application for social relief of distress
      • 18. Determination of financial criteria for older person's grant, disability grant, war vet
      • 19. Determination of means
      • 20. Permissible deductions when calculating applicant's income
    • Chapter 4 : Payment of Social Assistance
      • 21. Method of payment of social assistance
      • 22. Payment of reduced social grant to person maintained in certain institutions
      • 23. Conversion of social grant
      • 24. Appointment of procurator
      • 25. Conditions of appointment of welfare organization or person by Agency
      • 26. Appointment of person to receive and manage social grant in case of abuse of social gra
      • 26A. Circumstances under which Deductions may be made directly from Social Assistance Grant
    • Chapter 5 : Review of Social Grants
      • 27. Powers of Agency to suspend, increase or decrease amount of social grant on review
      • 28. Lapsing of social grant
      • 29. Procedure to be followed for suspension or cancellation of social assistance
    • Chapter 6 : Special Conditions for Continuation of Payment of Social Grant
      • 30. Information to be furnished to Agency by financial institution
      • 31. Payment of social grant to beneficiary who is absent from Republic
    • Chapter 7 : Standard Rules and Procedure applicable at Pay-Points
      • 32. Prohibition of creditors and other persons enforcing debts within area of pay-point
      • 33. Prohibition against conducting money-lending business at pay-point
      • 34. Approval for person accompanying beneficiary to pay-point
      • 35. General obligation of person accompanying beneficiary to pay-point
      • 36. Accreditation of certain organisations and persons attending pay-out at pay-point
    • Chapter 8 : General Provisions
      • 37. Application for unclaimed benefits
      • 37A. Penalties
      • 38. Repeal of regulations
      • 39. Commencement
    • Annexures
      • Annexure A : Determination of Financial Criteria
      • Annexure B :  Financial Criteria for Child Support Grant
      • Annexure C : Determination of Financial Criteria for Foster Child Grant
      • Annexure D : Financial Criteria for Care Dependency Grant
  • [Repealed] Regulations relating to the Lodging and Consideration of Applications for Reconsideration of Social Assistance Application by the Agency and Social Assistance Appeals by the Independent Tribunal
    • Notice No. R. 746 of 2011
    • Chapter 1 : Definitions
      • 1. Definitions and Interpretation
    • Chapter 2 : Application for Reconsideration and Consideration of Application
      • 2. Application for reconsideration [Section 18(1)]
      • 3. Consideration of an application for reconsideration
    • Chapter 3 : Appointment and Composition of Independent Tribunal
      • 4. Appointment
      • 5. Composition
      • 6. Legal practitioner
      • 7. Medical practitioner
      • 8. Member of civil society
    • Chapter 4 : Roles and Powers of Independent Tribunal
      • 9. Legal Practitioner
      • 10. Medical Practitioner
      • 11. Member of civil society
      • 12. Powers of Independent Tribunal
      • 13. Ethical conduct of members of Independent Tribunal
    • Chapter 5 : Lodging of Appeal and Condonation
      • 14. Lodging of appeal
      • 15. Condonation of late lodging of appeal
    • Chapter 6 : Consideration of Appeal
      • 16. Consideration of appeal
      • 17. Decision by Independent Tribunal
      • 18. Medical examination of applicant or beneficiary
    • Chapter 7 : Administration of Appeals
      • 19. Receipt, acknowledgement and request for further information
      • 20. Communication of decision
      • 21. Application which does not constitute an appeal
      • 22. Withdrawal of an appeal
      • 23. Record keeping
      • 24. Legal Notice
      • 25. Commencement
    • Annexure A : Consolidated Forms
      • Form 1 : Application for Reconsideration
      • Form 2 : Notification of Outcome of Consideration of an Application for Reconsideration
      • Form 3 : Lodging of an Appeal
      • Form 4 : Application for Condonation for Late Appeal
      • Form 5 : Summon to Appear Before the Independent Tribunal
      • Form 6 : Referral Form for Second Medical Examination or Opinion
      • Form 7A : Acknowledgement of Receipt of Appeal and Request of Further Documents
      • Form 7B : Acknowledgement of Receipt of Further Documents
      • Form 8A : Request for Further Written Reasons
      • Form 8B : Acknowledgement of Receipt of Further Written Reasons
      • Form 9 : Notification of Outcome of an Appeal
      • Form 10 : Notification that an Application for Appeal does not Constitute an Appeal
      • Form 11 : Withdrawal of an Appeal
      • Form 12 : Withdrawal of an Application for Reconsideration
        • Marshalltown
        • Nelspruit
        • Cape Town
        • Bloemfontein
        • Polokwane
        • Mmabatho
        • East London
        • Pietermaritzburg
        • Kimberley
  • Regulations relating to COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress issued in terms of Section 32, read with Section 13, of the Social Assistance Act, 2004 (Act No. 13 of 2004), as amended and with the concurrence of the Minister of Finance
    • Notice No. R. 2042 of 2022
    • 1. Definitions
    • 2. Persons eligible for Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress
    • 3. Procedure for application for Covid Social Relief of Distress
    • 4. Date of application and consent by applicant to information sharing
    • 5. Amount and period of payment
    • 6. Appeal against decision of Agency
    • 6A. Recovery and uncollected benefits
    • 6B. Death of COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress beneficiary
    • 6C. Transitional provision
    • 7. Commencement
  • Regulations relating to the Application for and Payment of Social Assistance and the Requirements or Conditions in respect of Eligibility for Social Assistance
    • Notice No. R. 2119 of 2022
    • 1. Definitions
    • Chapter 1 : General Requirements for Eligibility to Qualify for Social Assistance
      • 2. Persons eligible for older person's grant
      • 3. Additional payment linked to older person's grant
      • 4. Persons eligible for disability grant
      • 5. Persons eligible for war veteran's grant
      • 6. Persons eligible for grant-in-aid
      • 7. Persons eligible for child support grant
      • 8. Additional payment linked to child support grant for orphaned children
      • 9. Persons eligible for foster child grant
      • 10. Persons eligible for care-dependency grant
      • 11. Persons eligible for social relief of distress
    • Chapter 2 : Application for Social Assistance
      • 12. Procedure to be followed in application for social assistance
      • 13. Documents to accompany application for social assistance
      • 14. Date of application for social assistance
      • 15. Notification of outcome
      • 16. Procedure to be followed in application for social relief of distress
      • 17. Documents to accompany application for social relief distress
      • 18. Determination of amount and period of social relief of distress
      • 19. Date of application for social relief of distress
    • Chapter 3 : Determination of Financial Criteria
      • 20. Determination of financial criteria for older person's grant, disability grant, war veteran's grant, child support grant, foster child grant and care-dependency grant
      • 21. Determination of means
      • 22. Permissible deductions when calculating applicant's income
    • Chapter 4 : Payment of Social Assistance
      • 23. Method of payment of social assistance
      • 24. Payment of reduced social grant to person maintained in certain institutions
      • 25. Conversion of social grant
      • 26. Appointment of procurator
      • 27. Conditions of appointment of welfare organization or person by Agency
      • 28. Appointment of person to receive and manage social grant in case of abuse of social grant
      • 29. Circumstances under which a deduction may be made directly from a social grant
    • Chapter 5 : Review of Social Assistance
      • 30. Powers of Agency to suspend, increase or decrease amount of social assistance on review
      • 31. Lapsing of social grant
      • 32. Procedure to be followed for suspension or cancellation of social assistance
    • Chapter 6 : Special Conditions for Continuation of Payment of Social Assistance
      • 33. Information to be furnished to Agency by financial institution
      • 34. Payment of social assistance to beneficiary who is absent from the Republic
    • Chapter 7 : Standard Rules and Procedure Applicable at Agency Offices and Pay-Points
      • 35. Prohibition of credit providers and other persons conducting and marketing credit provider services within areas of Agency offices and pay-points
      • 36. Prohibition of credit providers and other persons enforcing credit agreements within areas of Agency offices and pay-points
      • 37. Approval for person accompanying beneficiary to pay-point
    • Chapter 8 : General Provisions
      • 38. Application for unclaimed benefits
      • 39. Penalties
      • 40. Repeal of regulations
      • 41. Commencement
    • Annexures
      • Annexure A : Determination of Financial Criteria for Older Persons Grant, Disability Grant and War Veteran's Grant
      • Annexure B : Determination of Financial Criteria for Child Support Grant
      • Annexure C : Determination of Financial Criteria for Foster Child Grant
      • Annexure D : Determination of Financial Criteria for Care-Dependency Grant
  • Regulations relating to the Lodging of Applications for Social Assistance Appeals and the Consideration and Adjudication of Appeals by the Independent Tribunal issued in terms of Section 32, read with Section 18 of the Act
    • Notice No. R. 2120 of 2022
    • Chapter 1 : Definitions
      • 1. Definitions
    • Chapter  2 : Lodging of Appeal with Independent Tribunal
      • 2. Lodging of Appeal with Independent Tribunal
      • 3. Receipt of Request for critical documentation by Independent Tribunal
    • Chapter 3 : Appointment for Composition of Independent Tribunal
      • 4. Procedure for Appointment of Members of Independent Tribunal
      • 5. Composition of Independent Tribunal
      • 6. Criteria for appointing legal practitioner
      • 7. Criteria for appointing medical practitioner
      • 8. Criteria for appointing civil society member
    • Chapter 4 : Duties of Members and Powers of Independent Tribunal
      • 9. Duties of members of the Independent Tribunal
      • 10. Powers of Independent Tribunal
      • 11. Ethical conduct of members of Independent Tribunal
    • Chapter 5 : Lodging of Appeal and Condonation
      • 12. Lodging of appeal
      • 13. Condonation of late lodging of appeal
    • Chapter 6 : Consideration of Appeal
      • 14. Consideration of Appeal
      • 15. Decision by Independent Tribunal
      • 16. Medical examination of applicant or beneficiary
    • Chapter 7 : Administration of Appeals
      • 17. Receipt, acknowledgement and request for further information
      • 18. Communication of decision
      • 19. Application which does not constitute an appeal
      • 20. Withdrawal of an appeal
      • 21. Record keeping
      • 22. Scope and Application for Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress Appeals
      • 23. Repeal
      • 24. Commencement
    • Annexures
      • Form 1 : Lodging of an Appeal
      • Form 2 : Application for Condonation for Late Appeal
• Notices
  • Increase in Respect of Social Grants
    • Notice No. 294 of 2006
    • Notice No. 253 of 2007
    • Notice No. 379 of 2008
    • Notice No. 1243 of 2008
    • Notice No. 212 of 2009
    • Notice No. 261 of 2009
    • Notice No. 261 of 2010
    • Notice No. 277 of 2015
    • Notice No. R. 525 of 2016
    • Notice No. R. 362 of 2018
    • Notice No. 490 of 2019
    • Notice No. R. 361 of 2020
    • Notice No. R. 286 of 2021
    • Notice No. 1947 of 2022
    • Notice No. R. 3208 of 2023
    • Notice No. 2388 of 2024
    • Notice No. R. 6031 of 2025
• Proclamations
  • Commencement of the Social Assistance Amendment Act, 2020 (Act 16 of 2020)
    • Proclamation Notice 62 of 2022