MEDIA STATEMENT| Fourth day payment for beneficiaries targeted for reviews
08 July 2026
The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) would like to remind social grant beneficiaries and the public that the Agency has introduced a fourth payment day for all beneficiaries identified to undergo social grant reviews.
Ordinarily, SASSA pays social grants over three days, starting with Older Persons Grants, followed by Disability Grants and Children’s Grants on successive dates. However, a fourth payment day has been introduced for beneficiaries across all grant types to indicate that their grants are due for review.
This means that during the July payment cycle, anyone who received their social grant on 07 July, which was the fourth payment day, must visit their nearest SASSA local office to complete their grant review and avoid having their grant suspended during the next payment cycle.
SASSA National Spokesperson, Dr Paseka Letsatsi, said the Agency has noted that some beneficiaries are still unfamiliar with the fourth payment day and often become concerned when their grant money is not paid during the normal three-day payment cycle, even though they would have received a notification.
In addition, Dr Letsatsi stressed that SASSA sends bulk SMS notifications to all beneficiaries targeted for grant reviews and eLife Certification for the relevant month. Thereafter, their social grants are scheduled for payment on the fourth day of the normal three-day payment cycle.
“This month, for example, we paid Older Persons Grants on 02 July, Disability Grants on 03 July and Children’s Grants on 06 July. Beneficiaries who still needed to have their social grants reviewed or undergo eLife Certification were paid on 07 July, which is what we refer to as the fourth payment day,” he emphasised.
Furthermore, Dr Letsatsi appealed to beneficiaries to act immediately upon receiving communication from SASSA requesting them to undergo a social grant review or complete verification through the eLife Certification self-service portal.
“We would also like to appeal to our beneficiaries to inform SASSA whenever their contact details or residential addresses change because we use the information captured in our system when a person first applied for a grant. If your personal details change and you do not notify us, we will continue sending communication to the contact number or address on our records, believing that you will receive it,” he added.
SASSA continues to emphasise that social grant reviews and eLife Certification are guided by Regulation 30 and Section 14(5) of the Social Assistance Act, 2004. The Agency is required to conduct regular reviews to confirm beneficiaries’ continued eligibility, while beneficiaries are legally obliged to report any material changes in their circumstances, including changes to their financial or marital status. These reviews are essential to ensure that every person receiving a social grant remains eligible based on their current circumstances.
Social grant reviews and eLife Certification are critical in confirming continued eligibility, preventing payments to deceased or otherwise ineligible beneficiaries, and detecting fraud. These processes help protect public funds, maintain the integrity of the social assistance system, and ensure that support is directed to those who genuinely qualify. Reviews also assist SASSA in keeping beneficiary information up to date, thereby improving communication and service delivery.
For the August payment cycle, SASSA confirms that social grants will be paid as follows:
- 04 August – Older Persons Grants
- 05 August – Disability Grants
- 06 August – Children’s Grants
- 07 August – Fourth payment day for beneficiaries targeted for reviews.
SASSA remains committed to paying social grants to all eligible beneficiaries while strengthening the integrity of the social grants system through regular reviews and continuous efforts to maintain an accurate and reliable beneficiary database.
ISSUED BY THE SOUTH AFRICAN SOCIAL SECURITY AGENCY
Department of Social Development
