A grant that has not shown up on pay day is frightening, but most missing payments have an ordinary cause that you can find in a few minutes. Work through the checks below in order before you travel to an office. Then, if the money is still missing, report it to SASSA in a way that leaves a record.
Five checks to run first
- Is your grant group due yet? SASSA pays older persons first, then disability grants a day later, then children’s grants. In October 2026 those days are the 2nd, the 5th and the 6th. A disability or child grant will not appear on the older persons’ day. Each month’s dates are in the payment schedule.
- Have you had a review letter or SMS? Grants flagged for review can be paid on a separate fourth day that follows the children’s grant day. You then need to finish the review at a SASSA office during that month.
- Were you asked to do e-Life certification or identity verification? SASSA holds payment until it is done, either on services.sassa.gov.za or at an office.
- How do you receive the money? Still collecting with an old gold card? The grant is in your account, but that card no longer gives access; follow the black card swap steps. If you are paid into a bank account, check that the account is still open and registered to you, because SASSA only pays into the beneficiary’s own account and verifies new or changed details with the bank first; the banking details guide deals with errors there.
- Is it the R370 SRD grant? SRD has no fixed date. Look at that month’s line on srd.sassa.gov.za. An approved month with no pay day yet is explained on our R370 pay date page; a declined month can be appealed within 90 days.
Also look at your statement for amounts that are lower than expected. Some pensioners have found deductions for funeral or insurance policies they never agreed to. That is a separate complaint, covered below.
Reporting a missing payment
If none of the checks explains the gap, contact SASSA directly. Have your ID number, the grant type, the month that is missing and your payment method ready.
- Phone: 0800 60 10 11 costs nothing to call and is answered on weekdays, 08:00–16:00. Write down the date, time and the agent’s name or reference.
- Email: GrantEnquiries@sassa.gov.za for permanent grants, or SRD@sassa.gov.za for the R370. Email gives you proof of when you complained.
- In person: your local SASSA office, with your ID and any letters or SMSes from SASSA. This is the fastest route when a review or verification is outstanding.
- Postbank account problems: Postbank on 0800 53 54 55.
- Unauthorised deductions or suspected fraud: report to SASSA on the numbers above. Suspected fraud goes to 0800 701 701, the Public Service Commission’s anti-corruption hotline.
Will a missed month be paid later?
It depends on why it was missed:
- You simply did not withdraw it: the money stays in the account. It is not taken back after pay day.
- Gold card not yet swapped: the payments have continued into the account and become available once you have a black card.
- Suspended grant: if SASSA suspended the grant because a review was missed or it went unclaimed for three months, apply for restoration within 30 days of the suspension. Ask SASSA whether the suspended months will be paid when the grant is restored.
- Successful appeal: when the appeals tribunal (ITSAA) rules in your favour, the months covered by the appeal are back-paid.
Be careful with people who offer to “unlock” a payment for a fee or ask for your PIN. SASSA does not charge to fix a payment and never asks for your PIN.