Your R370 SRD grant is extended another year. What changes next
Photo: Rijksmuseum, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
The R370 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant will keep paying for another year. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana's Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS), tabled in Parliament on Wednesday 21 October 2026, extended the grant, which was due to end in March 2027 (GroundUp).
There is still no decision on what replaces it (News24).
What exactly did Treasury say?
The MTBPS document says the grant "will be extended for another year while work continues on integration with labour market activation, skills development and enterprise support interventions" (Sunday World).
In plain terms, government wants SRD recipients linked to jobs, training and business support. That will run through a new government data platform called MzansiXchange (GroundUp).
Is the grant amount changing?
No change was announced. The grant has been R370 a month since Godongwana added R20 in his February 2026 Budget Speech (Sunday World).
What happened to the permanent "livelihoods" grant?
It was not mentioned. President Cyril Ramaphosa said in this year's State of the Nation Address that the SRD grant would become permanent and turn into a livelihoods grant, but the MTBPS was silent on it (GroundUp).
Treasury director-general Duncan Pieterse said government is still weighing alternatives, and that any replacement would have to fit within the money already set aside (Sunday World).
Will there be stricter checks on recipients?
Yes. MzansiXchange will let government check grant recipients against other public records to catch duplicate and fraudulent claims (GroundUp).
- Godongwana said R13 billion will be saved over the next three years by reducing fraud in social grants (MTBPS speech, gov.za).
- Treasury links those savings to enhanced biometric enrolment and beneficiary verification, with the same process to be applied to NSFAS and housing subsidies next (GroundUp).
- Total social grant beneficiaries are expected to drop from 17.8 million in 2026/27 to 17.1 million by 2029/30, freeing R6.2 billion for fighting gender-based violence and child malnutrition (GroundUp).
Why was the SRD budget cut?
Fewer people took up the grant than expected. Its 2026/27 allocation fell from R36.9 billion in February's Budget to R35.6 billion (GroundUp).
Could more people qualify soon?
Possibly. In January 2025 the High Court ruled that the grant's means-test threshold, value and income rules were invalid. Government appealed, the Supreme Court of Appeal heard the case in August 2026, and judgment is still pending (GroundUp).
If the ruling stands, between three million and 13 million more people could qualify, and Treasury estimates the yearly cost could rise from about R36 billion to R74 billion (GroundUp).
What should SRD recipients do now?
Nothing changes for current recipients yet. Applications and status checks still go through SASSA's official SRD website, srd.sassa.gov.za.
FAQ
Has the SRD grant been extended?
Yes. The 2026 Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement on 21 October 2026 extended the SRD grant for another year. It was due to end in March 2027.
How much is the SRD grant now?
R370 a month, after a R20 increase in the February 2026 Budget. No new increase was announced in the MTBPS.
Is the SRD grant becoming a permanent livelihoods grant?
No decision has been announced. The MTBPS did not mention the permanent livelihoods grant promised in the 2026 State of the Nation Address.
What is MzansiXchange?
A new government data platform that will link SRD recipients to jobs, training and business support, and check recipients against other public records to catch duplicate and fraudulent claims.
Where do I check my SRD status?
On SASSA's official SRD website, srd.sassa.gov.za.