Many people who get the R370 SRD grant (Social Relief of Distress) rely on a son, a neighbour or a grandchild to look up their result. You can help with this. Two things decide whether you can do it properly: the applicant’s own cellphone has to receive the one-time PIN, and the applicant has to agree to you using their details.
What a helper needs before starting
SASSA’s status check on srd.sassa.gov.za asks for the applicant’s 13-digit ID number and the cellphone number that was used on the SRD application. SASSA then sends a one-time PIN (OTP) by SMS to that registered number. Your own phone number won’t work, even if you are the one holding the device.
- The applicant’s ID number, read from their ID book, smart ID card or a document they give you.
- The exact cellphone number they applied with. If they have changed SIM cards since, ask which number SASSA has on record.
- That phone, switched on and with signal, so the SMS can arrive while you are on the page.
The simplest arrangement is to sit with the person. They keep their phone and read the PIN out to you, and you type it in. If you have never run the check yourself, our walk-through of the SRD status check covers each screen.
Consent and keeping someone’s ID number private
An ID number together with a working cellphone number is enough to open someone’s grant record. Treat it the way you would treat a bank card.
- Ask first, every time. A relative who agreed in March may not want you checking in October.
- Tell the person what the result says, including a decline, and let them decide what happens next.
- Don’t keep photos of their ID in your gallery or in WhatsApp chats, and don’t write the number down on paper you carry around.
- Type the details only into srd.sassa.gov.za. Lookalike sites copy SASSA’s colours, and our page on reaching the genuine status page explains how to tell them apart.
- Never ask for, or accept, their bank or card PIN. SASSA itself never asks for a PIN, and a status check doesn’t need one.
Helping with a status check doesn’t give you any right to the money. SASSA pays the SRD only into an active bank account in the applicant’s own name, so a helper can’t redirect the grant to their account.
When the applicant has no phone of their own
Older relatives often applied with a borrowed phone, or have since lost the SIM. Because the PIN can go only to the registered number, choose the route that fits:
- The borrowed phone is still around: ask the owner of that phone to be present, or to forward the PIN straight to the applicant, while you run the check.
- The number is gone for good: the applicant needs to put a number they control on their SRD record. SASSA requires facial recognition for this, so the applicant has to take part in person. Our guide to changing a SASSA cellphone number sets out the routes.
- No phone at all: the applicant can call SASSA’s free line, 0800 60 10 11 (weekdays, from eight in the morning until four in the afternoon), from any phone, or go to a SASSA office with their ID. You may go along to help explain. The phone-based status options page compares what each line can and can’t do.
Questions families ask
Can I phone SASSA on my mother’s behalf?
You can make the call, but the agent will need to confirm the applicant’s identity. Keep her next to you with her ID so she can answer the security questions herself.
Is it safe to pay someone at a shop or internet café to check?
The status check is free on srd.sassa.gov.za. If a café helps, make sure the browser shows that address, that the applicant types or reads out the PIN, and that the operator keeps no copy of the ID.