SASSA grant recipients the BIG winners in Budget Speech 2026

All social grants – except the Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant – will increase in the next financial year, according to the 2026 Budget Review released by National Treasury on Wednesday, 25 February.

The next financial year starts on Sunday, 1 March 2026.

Grant Increases

The revised grant amounts are as follows:

• Old age grant: R2 315 to R2 400
• War veterans grant: R2 335 to R2 420
• Disability grant: R2 315 to R2 400
• Foster care grant: R1 250 to R1 295
• Care dependency grant: R2 315 to R2 400
• Child support grant: R560 to R580
• Grant-in-aid: R560 to R580

The SRD grant will remain at R370 per month.

Government has allocated an additional R36.4 billion to extend payments at the current rate until 31 March 2027.

Spending Outlook

Social grants remain the largest component of social development spending.

Excluding the SRD grant, expenditure is projected to increase from R246.6 billion in 2025/26 to R276.5 billion in 2028/29.

The overall Social Development budget is expected to grow by 4.2%, rising from R412.2 billion in 2025/26 to R466.4 billion in 2028/29.

According to Treasury, the allocation supports poverty reduction through social grants, social insurance risk benefits and welfare services. It also funds development initiatives, empowerment programmes, gender equality efforts and advocacy for children, women, youth, older persons and people with disabilities.

However, the social grant allocation has been adjusted downward over the medium term due to a lower inflation outlook and improved targeting and verification processes. These measures are expected to generate savings of R2 billion in 2026/27 and R1 billion in 2027/28.

Tightened Controls at SASSA

Treasury said the 2025/26 allocation for the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) was made conditional on improving biometric and income verification processes, conducting more frequent eligibility reviews and tightening compliance measures.

By December 2025, SASSA had checked the bank accounts of about six million clients and eight million credit bureau records. These checks flagged 291 581 beneficiaries for review.

Following the review process and stricter application of the sliding scale – which links grant values to recipients’ income levels – grant amounts were adjusted for 8 599 disability and old-age recipients. This is expected to save R36.4 million in 2025/26.

A further 34 661 grants were cancelled, generating projected savings of R170.7 million by the end of the 2025/26 financial year.

The agency has also rolled out biometric verification for new applicants to strengthen beneficiary authentication.

Treasury said efforts to combat fraud and corruption will be intensified, while ensuring that legitimate beneficiaries continue to receive support.