SASSA reaches you through one cellphone number: it sends PINs, verification links and grant notices there. When that number changes, the right way to update it depends on two things: which grant you receive, and whether the old SIM is still in your hand. This page sorts the options so you can pick one route and follow it through.
Pick your route in one minute
- SRD (R370) grant, old phone still working: use the contact-update function on the SRD website. Our online walkthrough for the SRD site covers each screen.
- SRD grant, old SIM lost, stolen or cut off: the same website route still applies, but a facial-recognition check stands in for the old phone. See changing the number when no OTP can reach you.
- Older persons, disability, child or foster grant: update it on the SASSA services portal if you already have an account there, or at a SASSA office.
- Nothing online works for you: a SASSA office can do it in person, and a call to 0800 60 10 11 will tell you what your case needs.
The official channels side by side
SRD website (srd.sassa.gov.za)
This is the only official site for the SRD grant. SASSA identifies you with your 13-digit ID number and your 6-digit SRD application ID (AppID), then sends a PIN to the number you want to switch to. SASSA’s 2026 grant booklet adds that anyone changing a cellphone number must also pass facial recognition. Type srd.sassa.gov.za into the browser yourself rather than tapping a forwarded link.
SASSA services portal (services.sassa.gov.za)
Permanent-grant beneficiaries who registered a profile on the SASSA services portal can log in and open the personal-information section. The portal’s FAQ explains that saving a change triggers a one-time PIN to the cellphone number provided, which confirms the update. If you have never registered there, the office route is usually simpler.
SASSA office and call centre
Any grant type can be updated at a SASSA office. Take your ID and the phone with the new SIM. SASSA says every office can assist with online checks such as facial verification, using on-site kiosks and laptops. The call centre (0800 60 10 11, open 08:00–16:00 on weekdays) cannot see your phone, but it can confirm what your record needs before you travel.
Is WhatsApp an option?
Many guides send people to WhatsApp for this. SASSA’s 2026 booklet lists 082 054 0016 as its WhatsApp chatbot, but we could not confirm that the chatbot changes the number on your grant record. Treat it as a place for general questions, not as a confirmed update route. The older 082 046 8553 SRD line no longer appears in SASSA’s current material, and anyone else on WhatsApp who offers to “change your SASSA number” is not SASSA.
What every route asks of you
- Your ID number (or the beneficiary’s, if you are helping someone; the person should be present).
- For SRD: the 6-digit AppID linked to your application.
- A SIM that is active and stays with you, because PINs and verification links will go to it from now on.
- A phone with a working front camera, or a visit to an office, for the facial check.
Changing the number does not change where SASSA pays you; the bank account must still be in your own name. If you are worried about an approved SRD month while the update goes through, read how a number change affects SRD payments before you start.