You Can Now Switch to Your Bank to Speed Up Payment for R350 COVID-19 Grant

The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has called on its approved beneficiaries of the R350 COVID-19 grant to change their payment methods from the post office to a bank account.

SASSA  said in a statement published on Tuesday that it will once again open its system for approved applicants to change their preferred method of payment for the special COVID-19 SRD grant.

The window period is scheduled for Monday 31 August to Sunday 06 September 2020, 24 hours a day. During this period, beneficiaries can change from receiving their grants at the post office to receiving them through their personal bank accounts. They may also change from one bank to another if they prefer to.

Approved beneficiaries of the grant can change their payment method by visiting https://bit.ly/3lhySLO during this period.

This development is an effort to address challenges some beneficiaries have experienced in trying to access their special relief grant from the Post Offices.

It is important for beneficiaries to understand that they should not go to the Post Office before they have received the SMS notification that says funds are available. The SMS notification is used to limit the numbers of people reporting to a Post Office on a particular day and also to ensure that sufficient cash is available.

“When choosing a bank account, ensure that the account is in your name (SASSA cannot pay money for one person into the account held by another) and that the bank account is not closed. The payment process is delayed if money is sent to a closed account, as SASSA has to wait for the funds to be returned before sending it to the Post Office for collection,” said SASSA CEO Totsie Memela.

Clients who update their details are advised to ensure that their information is captured correctly to avoid any further delays.

The payment of the COVID-19 grant is quicker if paid into a bank account. Applicants without bank accounts are thus encouraged to open a bank account. There are many entry-level, inexpensive options in the market – some of which can be opened online.

Clients who have just been approved for the relief grant by SASSA and have received an SMS to upload and verify their bank details can do so at any time and need not wait for the window period. The sooner the details are uploaded, the quicker the payments can be made.

The agency is also pleased to announce that clients who opted to receive their special COVID-19 SRD grant through cash transfer will indeed get their August 2020 payment through this preferred method. They must ensure that the cellphone numbers they provide to SASSA to receive payments are registered in their own names and not the names of other people like relatives or neighbours. It is mandatory that the cellphone number should have gone through the RICA process in order for payment to be made through it.

Any citizen who does not update their information during this window period, or who provides incorrect banking details, will have the payments for the remaining months sent through to the Post Office.

Responses to frequently asked questions about this relief grant can be found on the WhatsApp platform on 082 046 8553.