Reasons you could lose your SASSA child support grant

Beneficiaries have expressed anxiety over what will happen if they lose May 2024 SASSA Child Support grants. The South African Social Security Agency is set to disburse all childcare payments next week on Tuesday 7 May 2024. These include Child Support, Care Dependency and Foster Child, plus the Top-Up scheme for orphaned children we reported on recently.

However, while the agency upped grants across the board last month, it did come with one major caveat. And it all comes down to money. After Social Relief of Distress (SRD), Child Support Grants go out to the most people in South Africa – 14 million – who each receive R530 per month.

LOSE MAY 2024 SASSA CHILD SUPPORT GRANTS

Meanwhile, at the time of the grant increase, the Department of Social Development (DSD) amended its recovery processes for any irregular payments. Remember when it came to light that millions of Rands was being paid fraudulently to ‘long-dead people’. Well, the DSD was read the riot act, and has now tightened its policies. That, sadly, is why some beneficiaries could lose May 2024 SASSA Child Support grants.

SASSA has suspended more than 81 500 Child Support grants between April 2023 and January 2024. However, you don’t need to panic. If you have a minor in your care and receive SASSA Child Support the agency, by law, has to alert you three months before a review.

MOST COMMON REASONS FOR SUSPENSION

According to the experts at Legal Aid, the agency has the right to review your Child Support grant. As per the amended law, this is to ensure you still qualify. Recipients could lose May 2024 SASSA Child Support grants in the following instances:

• The child has turned 18 years of age.
• The child has passed away.
• The child is now cared for in a state institution.
• Grants have not been collected for three consecutive months.
• The child is no longer in your care.
• If there is some sort of dispute over who the real primary caregiver of the child is. This will need to be investigated by the agency.
• If you fail to cooperate with the agency’s grant review in any way.
• If you misrepresented yourself in your application and have committed fraud.

MEANS TEST AND OTHER CONFUSION

According to a University of Cape Town study published via Children Count, it says the following are why some might lose May 2024 SASSA Child Support grants:

• Many are confused about eligibility requirements.
• Likewise, there is confusion over the means test.
• Your banking records must show your annual income is less than R105 600, or R8 800 per month (if married).
• And R52 800, or R4 400 per month (if single).
• If you have misrepresented yourself and exceed these amounts, you could lose your grant.
• Children Count says another major hurdle keeping parents from getting SASSA Child Support is a lack of documentation.
• This can either be personal identity documents or birth certificates of parent and child.
• While not a prerequisite for support, SASSA wants to see the child is in school and you need documentation to prove that.
• Finally, as the application cannot be done online, a major problem is lack of funds for transport to get to a SASSA office to apply or query an issue.

WHAT IF YOUR GRANT IS SUSPENDED?  

If a beneficiary does lose May 2024 SASSA Child Support grants for any reason, they may appeal within 90 days. Follow the link HERE to download all the relevant forms to lodge an appeal. If you win, your SASSA Child Support grant will be reinstated.

A reminder that these are the remaining SASSA Children’s grant payment dates for the rest of the year:

• Tuesday 7 May 2024.
• Thursday 6 June 2024.
• Thursday 4 July 2024.
• Tuesday 6 August 2024.
• Thursday 5 September 2024.
• Friday 4 October 2024.
• Thursday 7 November 2024.
• Thursday 5 December 2024.