The Social Relief of Distress grant, better known as the SRD, last paid R350 for the month of March 2024. The name stuck, though, so people still search for an “R350 status check”. This page explains how the amount became R370, why the change needed no action from people already in the system, and what has happened to the old links.
How R350 became R370: the timeline
- 2020: government introduced the SRD at R350 a month as a temporary COVID-19 relief measure.
- 30 April 2021: the grant expired. Nothing was paid for May, June or July 2021, and those months were never back-paid.
- 6 August 2021: applications reopened at R350 after the President reinstated the grant. Everyone, including past recipients, had to apply again.
- March 2024: Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana told the National Assembly that the R350 would rise to R370 from 1 April 2024.
- 26 March 2024: the Department of Social Development (DSD) announced amended SRD regulations setting the amount at R370 from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025.
- Since then: the grant has been extended at R370. The 2026 Budget kept it at R370 until 31 March 2027.
The R20 rise was the only change to the SRD amount since 2020. The other grants rise each April through the Budget, but the SRD amount is set in its own regulations, so it does not move with them.
Did people already on R350 have to do anything?
No. The 2024 amendment included a transitional rule (regulation 6C) so that SASSA could keep assessing and paying existing applicants without a break while the old regulations gave way to the new ones. SASSA kept checking each person month by month, and approved months from April 2024 onwards were simply paid at R370.
That is the opposite of 2021, when the grant had lapsed and every applicant had to start over. If you stopped receiving money long ago and are unsure whether your application survived, read whether an old R350 application is still active. If your payment history shows a mix of R350 and R370 months, our guide to reading R350 and R370 payouts explains why.
Anyone who claims you must “upgrade” to R370, pay a fee or register again for the higher amount is not acting for SASSA. Applying and staying on the SRD are free.
Where your old R350 bookmarks go now
It depends on what you saved:
- A bookmark to srd.sassa.gov.za still works. That has always been the only official SRD website, and it handles R370 status checks today. For a walk-through of today’s check, see how to check your SRD status.
- A bookmark to any other site with “R350”, “srd” or “sassa” in its name was never official. SASSA has named fake addresses such as srd-sassa.org.za and srdsassagov.co.za, and had dozens of copycat sites shut down in 2025. Delete those bookmarks and type the official address yourself.
- The old WhatsApp line 082 046 8553 and the USSD code *134*7737# were official ways to apply in 2020 and 2021. They are missing from SASSA’s current grant booklet, so we cannot confirm they still work. The WhatsApp number SASSA lists today is 082 054 0016.
What is and is not decided about R370
National Treasury’s 2026 Budget Review funds the SRD at R370 a month until 31 March 2027. Nothing official sets a new amount or an end date after that. In January 2026 DSD dismissed social media posts claiming the grant was ending, saying there was “no such decision”. Treat any post promising R500, a top-up or a basic income grant on a fixed date as false until DSD, SASSA or Treasury announces it.
Eligibility did not change with the amount. SASSA still checks every month whether your income is under the R624 food poverty line and whether you get other state support. Our page on the monthly R370 checks covers how that works.
Was the April 2024 increase back-paid for earlier months?
No. The amended regulations set R370 from 1 April 2024. Months before that were assessed and paid at R350.