What to know about SASSA’s 2025 grant review and fund recovery

Expect more grant reviews in 2025 — especially if you’re a core beneficiary. Social welfare organisations warn that SASSA is likely to tighten its review processes in response to growing pressure on the National Treasury’s social welfare budget.

SASSA launches a grant review when it suspects your financial situation has changed since you were first approved. You could be flagged for reassessment if you’ve started earning more, failed to declare all your income, or misrepresented your financial status during your application.

The move aims to ensure that only qualifying individuals continue receiving support, as the government tries to balance compassion with financial sustainability.

2025 SASSA GRANT REVIEW

Either way, the South African Social Security Agency has the right to request a 2025 SASSA grant review. However, authorities must give you three-months’ notice in writing beforehand it can do so.

Primarily, the agency will check on your income and asset eligibility. And if it finds you are over the limit, it does have the right to ‘reclaim ill-gotten government funds’ for the period in question …

PAY BACK THE MONEY

To control the growing number of Old-Age SASSA grant recipients, the National Treasury relies on the Social Pension (SOCPEN) system to carry out rigorous financial checks. As a result, individuals with private pensions, savings, assets, or income above the set thresholds are likely to undergo a SASSA grant review in 2025:

• R8 070 per month (R96 840 per year) income if single.
• R16 140 per month (R193 680 per year) income if married.
• Total assets of R1 372 800 if single.
• Total assets of R2 745 600 if married.

For the country’s 13-million SASSA Child Support beneficiaries, applicant finances must show you earn less than:

• R8 800 per month if married (R105 600 annually).
• R4 400 per month if single (R52 800 annually).

WHAT IF YOU’RE CAUGHT?

As a result, SASSA is within its rights to demand that money be repaid for the period of time that your income/assets exceeded the qualifying amount. Don’t forget, you sign an agreement when you become a grant beneficiary that you will inform SASSA if/when your income increases beyond the qualifying amount. The cost of living is increasing, but lying to SASSA is illegal.

SASSA will demand that you repay the monies you received ‘in error.’ However, if you think you have a case, you can appeal against SASSA’s decision through the Department of Social Development (DSD) HERE. You have 90 days to appeal their decision. SASSA will pass it along to the Independent Tribunal for Social Assistance Appeals (ITSAA) for final adjudication.  

WHAT ELSE CAN YOU DO?

If your appeal is overturned, SASSA will insist you repay all ‘ill-gotten funds’ from the time period in question. An alternative path to resolution is to contact social welfare organisation, Black Sash. Their head office is based in Mowbray, Cape Town and they have experience resolving grant review problems:

• +27 21 686 6952
• 072 6633 739