Scaled SASSA grants formula, Digi Mart USA News (South Africa): Scaled SASSA grants are not a new feature of South Africa’s social grant system, but they are rarely explained in detail to beneficiaries. The South African reports that the agency does not explain them at length publicly, even though they are set out in its regulations.
The SASSA Older Person Grant is not always a flat payment of R2 400 for those aged 60 to 74 and R2 420 for those 75 and older. According to the report, a formula applies under the South African Social Security Agency means tests.
For a single person earning under R3 600 a month (R43 200 a year), the full R2 400 is paid. For every additional R1 000 of income above that limit, the grant is reduced by R400.
The report says few people are aware of this, even among the roughly 4.2 million Old-Age beneficiaries. Many first-time applicants see only the income eligibility cliff at the top of the range.
At R9 350 of income, a person does not receive R2 400; under the scaled system they qualify for only R100 a month, which the report describes as barely worth the effort of applying.
The report notes that people can enter their income into the scale to estimate how much assistance they may receive, if any. It also cautions that there are other considerations, such as a married person’s assessment combining both spouses’ incomes, which effectively doubles the figures used.
