The beneficiaries of social grants in South Africa wait with great anticipation the SASSA payment schedule for 2026 with special focus on the grant release window starting around 25 January 2026. On a monthly basis, the South African Social Security Agency provides regular payments for social grants to include Older Persons Grant, Disability Grant, child/grant, and Social Relief of Distress (SRD) R370 grant. Understanding how payments are slated in January will assist households which are dependent on these payments to plan their monthly budgets better.
The Schedule of Payments in January 2026
According to the official SASSA calendar, standard grant payments of January mainly occur in the first week of the month, with Older Persons Grants, Disability Grants and Children’s Grants reimbursed in the first week of January. Using the official schedule as reference, payment for Older Persons Grants will be 6 January 2026. Disability Grants stand on the queue for payment the following day, 7 January, while Children, who receive the bulk of the grants, are processed on 8 January.
Around the Date of 25th January 2026
The early-month payouts are going to keep coming throughout, so SASSA also processes another batch payment window for the SRD R370 (Social Relief of Distress) grant late in the month, typically starting around the 25th. This batch runs up to the end of the month. This time is sometimes called a “double release window” since beneficiaries may have received their monthly grant early in January and now may cash the SRD R370 grant commencing after the 25th or any future date deemed within that SRD payment window.
What’s Special About Payment in the Late Month?
The SRD grant of R370 is paid in batches, not on a fixed day, as generally every payment depends upon when processing is done and when beneficiary application had been approved. Payment pending around 25th January offers another cash flow to SRD beneficiaries later in the month that might be a solution to their problems, since the early January grants are already well taken.
What Beneficiaries Should Do
It is recommended that beneficiaries track the payment statuses regularly via the official SASSA status portal or SMS confirmations to know when they will be paid. The accuracy of the automated fund processing and swift flow of funds depend on their personal details and banking information. Reliable dates can be cross-checked via trusted SASSA channels, thereby obviating the need to get misled by unauthenticated sources.