Never before has the landscape around SASSA Child Support grants for March 2025 been so uncertain. Firstly, Finance Minister Godongwana’s postponed February budget speech has thrown the whole department into the air. We should already know confirmed SASSA grant increases for 2025. Meanwhile, 13-million beneficiaries with children waiting for SASSA Child Support grants for March 2025 are no closer to knowing how much they will receive in just four-weeks’ time.
Secondly, you can add what Social Development Minister Tolashe has labelled a Postbank card-swap ‘crisis’. Shockingly, Postbank and SASSA have pushed nearly 3-million gold card clients to breaking point, with less than a month to switch cards, even after a deadline extension to Thursday 20 March 2025. SASSA recipients have had to endure the indignity of queuing outside, in adverse weather, without ablution facilities. 100 000 swaps need to occur daily for the deadline to be met.
SASSA CHILD SUPPORT GRANTS FOR MARCH 2025
However, worse than this is what the postponed 2025 budget has to do with the future of South African Social Security Agency grants in general. Earlier in the year, the High Court ruled that millions have been ‘unlawfully’ excluded from Social Relief of Distress (SRD) benefits. And there’s the fact that the GNU blocked the Finance Minister’s raising of VAT by two percentage points, to 17%.
Experts recognise this was the National Treasury’s big attempt to drum up the additional R36 billion per month to pay for an ‘extended and improved SRD grant’, taking the form of a Basic Income Grant (BIG). Somewhat cruelly, this is an example of yet another ‘pro-poor’ ANC policy, that would have impoverished the poor even further by pushing up the price of every day household items for everyone.
THIS MONTH’S CHILDCARE GRANTS
That said, what is happening with SASSA Child Support grants for March 2025? The agency has confirmed that SASSA Child Support grants for March 2025 will go ahead despite all this uncertainty and chaos of February. Stipends will be paid, as scheduled, on Thursday 6 March 2025. A reminder that SASSA Child Support pays R530 per month. Other SASSA Childcare grants for the month include Childcare Dependency and Foster Child. Only one parent (if married) may claim a grant for any child (under the age of 18).
However, with just four weeks to go to long-awaited April 2025 disbursements, Child Support beneficiaries are still in the dark about increases. Looking at historical data, we’ve predicted little more than a 5% increase for the year. However, looking at the mess Social Development Minister Sisisi Tolashe has been left to deal with after the High Court ruling, Postbank ‘crisis’ and budget postponement who knows what will actually transpire next month.
CHILDCARE BENEFITS FOR KIDS AND PARENTS
However, don’t forget about the advantages of putting a newborn child onto SASSA Child Support grants for March 2025. If you add your newborn from birth and run the SASSA grant all the way to their 18th birthday, your household will receive approximately R135 480. Note that this factors in estimated annual grant increases of roughly 5% per annum. Better still, the agency wants to see more young parents with newborns applying for the benefit. Unlike grants trying to exclude applicants, mothers with newborns are being asked to urgently apply for SASSA Child Support.
Firstly, you must register your newborn with the Department of Home Affairs as soon as possible.
The, to qualify for SASSA Child Support you must pass the following means tests for each:
- Earn less than R8 800 per month if you’re married (R105 600 annually).
- Earn less than R4 400 per month if you’re single (R52 800 annually).
Applications can take up to three months to be processed, however, you will be back-paid to the date of your application.
HOW TO APPLY
After receiving an unabridged birth certificate and ID document for your child from Home Affairs, visit the SASSA service portal. Make an appointment online. You do this before you visit a SASSA branch in-person. Make sure you have the following documents ready with you:
- Official birth certificate and ID of your child.
- Valid identity documents of both the applicant (child) and spouse (if married).
- Proof of marital status (marriage, birth or death certificate of your spouse).
- Proof of income (you and your spouse).
- Approved three-month bank statement (no older than three-months).
- Proof of address (a utility statement with your name on it that’s not more the three-months old).
CARE DEPENDENCY AND FOSTER CHILD GRANTS
Mentally or physically disabled children and foster children also get government support. They require additional paperwork. A child must be declared disabled by a government-appointed doctor. Likewise, you are only eligible for the SASSA Foster Child grant if you are the rightful, court-appointed foster parent in accordance with the South African Child Care Act. The grants pay R2 190 (Care Dependency) and R1 190 (Foster Child) respectively.
For further assistance you can contact SASSA directly:
- SASSA Toll-Free Call: 0800 60 10 11
- SASSA Head Office: 012 400 2322
- Email SASSA: grantenquiries@sassa.gov.za
- Or email: president@presidency.gov.za
- Postbank: 0800 53 54 55
- Email Postbank: postbank.enquiries@postbank.co.za
DO YOU NEED ANY HELP WITH YOUR SASSA GRANT?
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