SASSA Glossary: 30+ Terms Explained

SRD

Social Relief of Distress — a temporary monthly grant of R370 for unemployed South Africans aged 18–59 who have no income or financial support.

Means Test

An assessment SASSA uses to check your income and assets against a threshold. If your means exceed the threshold, you do not qualify for the grant.

Income Threshold

The maximum monthly income you can earn and still qualify for a grant. For the SRD grant, the threshold is R624 per month as of 2026.

ITSAA

Independent Tribunal for Social Assistance Appeals — an independent body separate from SASSA that reviews grant appeals and makes binding decisions.

Pay Day

The specific date assigned to your approved grant when SASSA processes payment. It appears on your SRD status page next to your approved status.

eKYC

Electronic Know Your Customer — a digital identity verification process that may include facial recognition (taking a selfie) to confirm your identity.

OTP

One-Time PIN — a 6-digit code sent via SMS to verify your identity when logging into the SRD portal or completing an application.

USSD

Unstructured Supplementary Service Data — short codes like *120*69277# that work on any phone without internet to check your SASSA grant status.

RICA

Regulation of Interception of Communications Act — a South African law requiring all SIM cards to be registered with your ID number and proof of address.

SC19 Form

The official name of the SRD grant application form. It is available only online at srd.sassa.gov.za.

Back Pay

Money paid to you for months you were incorrectly declined. If your appeal is approved, SASSA pays you for all the months you missed.

Life Certification

An annual process where SASSA confirms you are still alive and eligible. In 2026, this can be done digitally via the SASSA self-service portal.

Self-Service Portal

SASSA's online system introduced in 2026 that allows beneficiaries to complete life certification, update profiles, and check status without visiting an office.

Postbank

The state-owned bank that manages SASSA grant payments. Postbank issues the SASSA Gold Card (now Black Card) for grant collections.

SASSA Gold Card

A payment card previously issued by SASSA for grant collections. Replaced by the Postbank Black Card in 2025/2026.

Postbank Black Card

The current official SASSA grant payment card issued by Postbank. Used to withdraw grants at Post Office branches, ATMs, and retailers.

Cash Send

An SRD grant payment method that allows you to collect your R370 at Pick n Pay or Boxer stores using an SMS code, without needing a bank account.

NSFAS

National Student Financial Aid Scheme — if SASSA detects you are registered with NSFAS, your SRD grant application will be declined.

UIF

Unemployment Insurance Fund — if you are receiving UIF payments, you cannot receive the SRD grant for the same month.

SARS

South African Revenue Service — SASSA cross-checks your ID number with SARS records to see if you are registered for PAYE tax.

Declined

A status meaning your application did not meet SASSA's requirements for that month. You can appeal a decline within 90 days.

Pending

The most common SASSA status. It means your application is being verified against government databases. Most applications stay Pending for 1 to 4 weeks.

Referred

A status meaning your application was flagged for manual human review because the automated system could not make a decision.

Bank Details Pending

A status meaning your grant is approved but SASSA cannot pay you because your banking details are missing, invalid, or unverified.

Identity Verification Failed

A decline reason meaning your name or ID number does not match Department of Home Affairs records.

Income Source Detected

The most common decline reason for SRD applications. It means SASSA found deposits in your bank account exceeding R624 for the month.

BIS

Basic Income Support — a proposed permanent grant that may replace the SRD grant after March 2027. Details have not been finalised.

Care Dependency Grant

A SASSA grant of R2,400 per month for caregivers of children with severe disabilities who require full-time care.

Grant-in-Aid

A supplementary grant of R580 per month for Old Age or Disability grant recipients who need full-time care from another person.

War Veterans Grant

A SASSA grant of R2,420 per month for South Africans who served in World War II or the Korean War and meet the means test.