If your old SIM still works, updating the number on your SRD grant is a short job on the official website, usually done in one sitting. Keep both phones charged and nearby: you may want the old one to find your application ID, and the new one receives the PIN. This guide follows the online process in order and ends with how to tell that it worked.
Before you open the site
- Your 13-digit ID number, typed without spaces.
- Your 6-digit application ID (AppID). This is the SRD application reference, not your ID number. Earlier SASSA SMS messages on the old phone are a good place to look for it.
- The new SIM, inserted and with signal, so the PIN can arrive while the page is still open.
The update, screen by screen
- Open a browser and key in srd.sassa.gov.za by hand. Don’t follow a link someone forwarded to you.
- Choose the option for updating contact details or your mobile number. The wording on the button can change, so look for “contact” or “cellphone”.
- Enter your ID number and AppID. SASSA uses this pair to confirm you are the applicant.
- Type the new cellphone number carefully and check each digit before you submit.
- Wait for the SMS PIN on the new phone and enter it on the site.
- Watch the new phone for a facial-recognition link. SASSA’s 2026 booklet says people who change their number must also pass this check. When the link arrives, open it, take a selfie in good light and wait for the result.
SASSA allows one change request every 24 hours, so a second attempt the same day will not go through.
How to know the change has gone through
Three signs together tell you the update worked. The PIN reached the new phone and the site accepted it. The facial check reported success. And a status check on the SRD site, using your ID and the new number, sends its PIN to the new phone and opens your record. If the status check still only works with the old number, the update did not complete; wait out the 24 hours and try again. Our guide to logging in to the SRD site explains the status and banking screens you reach afterwards.
Mistakes that make the form fail
- Mixing up the AppID and the ID number. The AppID is six digits; the ID is thirteen.
- A typo in the new number. The PIN then goes to a stranger’s phone. Read the number back before pressing submit.
- Entering a number you won’t keep. A borrowed phone or a SIM about to expire will leave you locked out again.
- Letting the facial link lapse. SASSA has said these links must be used within 72 hours.
- Using a copycat site. Only srd.sassa.gov.za can change your SRD record, and it is free.
Lost the old SIM, or can’t find the AppID? Follow the route for a lost SIM with no OTP instead. For a comparison of every channel, including the options for permanent grants, see our overview of ways to change a SASSA number.