SASSA payment dates for December 2026 and January 2027

December grants are paid from Wednesday 2 December 2026. January grants only start on Tuesday 5 January 2027, so plan for a longer gap over the festive season.

Source: Department of Social Development, SASSA, Government Gazette (Department of Social Development), LawLibrary (consolidated regulations), South African Government (gov.za), The Presidency (gov.za), Department of Basic Education (gov.za)Last checked 30 October 2026

Sources and notes

SASSA grant payment dates, 2026/27 — effective 1 April 2026
Social grant amounts, 2026/27 — effective 1 April 2026
- GN R.7287 of 23 March 2026 (GG 54397): increases in social grant amounts from 1 April 2026 and 1 October 2026 (Government Gazette (Department of Social Development))
- DSD: SASSA confirms 2026/2027 social grant payment schedule and increases (approved by National Treasury on 20 March 2026) (Department of Social Development)
- Regulations relating to COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress, GN R.2042 of 2022 as amended: reg 2 (R624 income threshold, ages 18 to 60), reg 5 (R370 a month), reg 6 (90-day appeal) (LawLibrary (consolidated regulations))
- Amendment Regulations relating to COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress, 2026: GN R.7351 of 2 April 2026 (GG 54460), in force 1 April 2026 (Government Gazette (Department of Social Development))
South African public holidays 2026, 2027 and 2028 — effective 1 January 2026
- Public Holidays Act 36 of 1994 (Schedule 1 and s2(1): a Sunday holiday moves to the Monday) (South African Government (gov.za))
- Public holidays in South Africa (2026 and 2027 lists) (South African Government (gov.za))
- President declares Election Day, 4 November 2026, a public holiday under s2A of the Public Holidays Act (The Presidency (gov.za))
- National Education Policy Act: 2027 Calendar for public schools (GN 5902, 25 February 2025) (Department of Basic Education (gov.za))
- National Education Policy Act: 2028 Calendar for public schools (GN 8081, 23 October 2026) (Department of Basic Education (gov.za))
Public school calendar 2026, 2027 and 2028 (all provinces) — effective 1 January 2026
- National Education Policy Act: 2026 Calendar for public schools (GN 5901, 25 February 2025) (Department of Basic Education (gov.za))
- National Education Policy Act: 2027 Calendar for public schools (GN 5902, 25 February 2025) (Department of Basic Education (gov.za))
- National Education Policy Act: 2028 Calendar for public schools (GN 8081, 23 October 2026) (Department of Basic Education (gov.za))
- School calendar (summary page) (South African Government (gov.za))

Dates are when SASSA starts paying each group. Money paid into a bank account is usually available from that day; you do not have to withdraw it on the payment day.
SASSA schedules payments so that they are not on the 1st of the month, a Monday, a weekend or the day after a public holiday, except where it announces otherwise.
SRD (R370) payments follow their own per-applicant dates and are not part of this schedule.
Dates from April 2027 have not been announced yet. We add them only once SASSA, DSD or National Treasury publishes them.
Amounts are the maximum monthly grant. The older person's, disability and war veteran's grants are means tested on a sliding scale, so some people receive less.
The Foster Child Grant rises twice in 2026/27: R1 290 from 1 April 2026 and R1 300 from 1 October 2026.
Older persons aged 75 and over, and war veterans, receive an extra R20 a month on top of the R2 400 base (R2 420 in total).
The SASSA means test leaflet prints the Disability Grant as R2 420. The Government Gazette (GN R.7287) and the DSD statement both say R2 400, so we show R2 400.
Public Holidays Act 36 of 1994, s2(1): "whenever any public holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday shall be a public holiday". A holiday on a Saturday does not move.
Good Friday is the Friday before Easter Sunday and Family Day the Monday after it (Schedule 1); Easter follows the Western (Gregorian) church calendar.
4 November 2026 (local government elections) was declared a public holiday under s2A of the Act. No special public holidays had been declared for 2027 or 2028 when checked; the President can still declare one.
The gov.za 2027 list omits Monday 27 December 2027, but Day of Goodwill (26 December 2027) is a Sunday, so s2(1) applies, and the DBE's gazetted 2027 school calendar lists 27 December as a public holiday.
gov.za has not published a 2028 list. The 2028 dates are worked out from the Act and match the public holidays in the DBE's gazetted 2028 school calendar (including Monday 25 September 2028 for Heritage Day on a Sunday).
An employer and employee may agree to exchange a public holiday for another day (s2(2)).
One national calendar for public schools in all nine provinces, published by the Minister of Basic Education under s3(4)(k) of the National Education Policy Act 27 of 1996. Independent schools set their own dates.
Dates in brackets in the gazette are administration days for teachers: for example term 1 of 2027 is (11) 13 January to 19 March, so teachers start on 11 January and learners on 13 January.
The gov.za summary page shows different 2027 term 3 and term 4 dates (20 July to 1 October and 11 October to 10 December) from the gazetted calendar (20 July to 22 September and 5 October to 8 December). We use the gazette, which is the official notice.
4 November 2026 (Election Day) was declared after the 2026 calendar was published, so schools close that day as well.

KayaGrant is not SASSA. We publish only dates that SASSA, the Department of Social Development or National Treasury have announced. If SASSA changes a date, we update the payment dates pages.

December 2026 and January 2027 at a glance

December 2026 and January 2027 payment dates
Grant	December 2026	January 2027	Days between
Older Person's Grant	Wednesday 2 December 2026	Tuesday 5 January 2027	34
Disability Grant	Thursday 3 December 2026	Wednesday 6 January 2027	34
Children's grants	Friday 4 December 2026	Thursday 7 January 2027	34

Children's grants are the Child Support, Foster Child and Care Dependency grants. More detail on the December 2026 and January 2027 pages.

How much is paid in December

Older Person's Grant: up to R2 400 (plus R20 from age 75).
Disability Grant: up to R2 400.
Child Support Grant: R580 per child.
Foster Child Grant: R1 300 per child.
Care Dependency Grant: R2 400 per child.

These are the 2026/27 amounts from the Government Gazette. Older person's and disability grants are means tested, so some people get less: see grant amounts or check with the means test calculator.

Making December money last

The gap from the December to the January payment is 34 days for every grant group, so the December money has to last longer than usual.
Public holidays in this period: Day of Reconciliation (Wednesday 16 December 2026), Christmas Day (Friday 25 December 2026), Day of Goodwill (Saturday 26 December 2026), New Year's Day (Friday 1 January 2027). Shops and pay points may have different hours on these days.
You do not have to withdraw everything on the first day. Leaving some money in your account is safer than carrying cash.
Public schools close on Wednesday 9 December 2026 and reopen on Wednesday 13 January 2027, so children are home for the whole gap.

Before December: November dates changed

SASSA moved the November 2026 dates because of the Local Government Elections: older persons Friday 30 October 2026, disability Monday 2 November 2026 and children's grants Tuesday 3 November 2026, with an extra day on Thursday 5 November 2026 for grants under review. See November 2026, or watch our short: youtube.com/shorts/AxmTw4U0GZw.

Festive season scams

Be wary of messages promising a "Christmas bonus", a "double payment" or an "early payment". SASSA never asks for your PIN or one-time code. Check anything you are sent on SASSA's own channels (toll-free 0800 60 10 11) and read avoid grant scams.

Frequently asked questions

When is the SASSA payment for December 2026?

Older Person's Grants from Wednesday 2 December 2026, Disability Grants from Thursday 3 December 2026, and children's grants (Child Support, Foster Child and Care Dependency) from Friday 4 December 2026. These are the dates in the official 2026/27 schedule published by the Department of Social Development.

Is there an extra or early December payment for the festive season?

No extra or early December payment has been announced. SASSA pays one grant per month. Messages promising a 'Christmas bonus' or a double payment are scams unless SASSA announces it on its own channels.

When is the January 2027 SASSA payment?

Older persons from Tuesday 5 January 2027, disability from Wednesday 6 January 2027 and children's grants from Thursday 7 January 2027. That is later in the month than December, so the December money has to last longer.

Do I have to withdraw my grant on the payment day?

No. The date is when SASSA starts paying. Money paid into your bank account or SASSA card stays there, so you can avoid the queues on the first days.

Are SRD R370 payments on these dates?

No. SRD payments have their own date for each approved applicant. Check yours only on srd.sassa.gov.za.

Not SASSA. General information, not advice. KayaGrant is an independent website. It is not SASSA and is not affiliated with SASSA, the Department of Social Development or any government body. We summarise official information from SASSA, the Government Gazette, the Social Assistance Act and its regulations, and the Department of Social Development. It is general information, not legal or financial advice, and the means test result is an estimate: only SASSA can decide whether you qualify and how much you are paid. Always confirm with SASSA on 0800 60 10 11, at a SASSA office or on sassa.gov.za.

December 2026 and January 2027 at a glance

How much is paid in December

Making December money last

Before December: November dates changed

Festive season scams

Frequently asked questions

Related

SASSA payment dates

Grant amounts 2026/27

Means test checker

Clear money answers for South African homes