The popular SASSA R350 grant has increased to R370 as of April 2024 due to inflation and higher cost of living. If your SRD application for the R350 or R370 grant has been declined, you can appeal against the decision by visiting the SRD website and lodging an appeal at the DSD Appeal Website.

Applicants must wait up to 90 days to get a response to their appeal. They can also lessen the rejection rate by rechecking their eligibility, information, contact details, and confirmation to terms and conditions. If you get multiple rejections, you can contact the Independent Tribunal team or approach the High Court. Read this article to learn what to do if your SASSA appeal for R350 has been declined.

How to Do SASSA Appeal For R350 Declined Applications?

The Minister of Social Development has established an Independent Tribunal to handle appeals for the R350 or R370 grants on behalf of SASSA. This is to ensure every appeal is settled justly. However, you’ll have to submit your appeal within 30 to 90 days for it to be considered.

Here’s a step-by-step process for lodging an SRD R350 appeal:

Visit the SASSA SRD Web Portal.
Scroll down and select the South African ID Holders option.
Navigate to ‘Lodging an Appeal’ section and click on DSD Appeal Website.
Tap on ‘Click Here to Lodge an Appeal or Check Status’ option.
Enter your 13-digit South African ID card number and registered Phone Number.
Type the OTP sent to your phone number.
Pick the Month of Appeal (i.e., September).
Provide your Reason of Appeal on an input tab.
Attach documents (i.e, bank records, pay slip).
Click on ‘Submit’ to complete the appeal process.

After submission, you’ll need to wait to hear back from their team.

Remember if your SASSA grant application is denied for a specific month, you must lodge an appeal specifically for that month. In case of facing multiple rejections, you need to file a separate appeal for each rejected month.

For example, if your SRD application for the R350 (or R370) grant was denied in August, you must lodge an appeal for August. However, if this appeal is rejected again and you are notified in October, you will need to make a new appeal in October, mentioning October as the month of your appeal (not August).

Table of Contents

1 How to Check Status of Your SASSA Appeal?

2 How Long Does SASSA Appeal Take?

3 Reasons Why Your Appeal Is Still Pending?

4 Tips to Avoid Getting Declined Again?

5 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How to Check Status of Your SASSA Appeal?

You can check your appeal status using the below given method:

Go to the SRD Official Website.
Select the South African ID Holders option.
Hover to ‘Lodging an Appeal’ section and click on DSD Appeal Website.
Tap on ‘Click Here to Lodge an Appeal or Check Status’ option.
Type your 13-digit South African ID card number and registered Phone Number.
Provide the OTP sent to your phone number.
Finally, your Appeal Status will be displayed to you.

How Long Does SASSA Appeal Take?

Initially, you’ll see a ‘Pending Status’ on your SRD R350 (R370) grant appeal. However, this status can change within 60 days. All applicants must wait for at least 90 days before taking any further action like lodging another appeal. The Appeal Status can vary from Pending, Approved to Declined.

According to the Department of Social Development (DSD), you can expect to get informed about your appeal’s decision in the following time period:

SASSA Appeal Status Limit	Waiting Period
Minimum	60 Days (2 Months)
Maximum	90 Days (3 Months)

Reasons Why Your Appeal Is Still Pending?

The Independent Tribunal for Social Assistance Appeals (ITSAA) uses the same verification methods as SASSA to analyze appeals. They receive hundreds of R350 appeals each month and manually check documents against various databases, which can delay the process.

These are the sources where they confirm your identity, income status, and records of any alternative financial aid:

Department of Home Affairs (DHA)
South African Revenue Services (SARS)
Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF)
National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS)
Department of Social Development (DSD)
National Credit Regulator (NCR)
Fraud Risk Scoring System

Checking your identity against these departments can definitely take more time; this is why the Independent Tribunal has a long 3 month deadline.

Tips to Avoid Getting Declined Again?

It’s possible to get a rejection over your SRD R350 (R370) application’s appeal. However, you can always minimize the risk and ensure approval by considering a few important things. Here’s some of the major mistakes as per Independent Tribunal that you must avoid in your appeals:

1. Recheck Your Eligibility

Your appeal will be straightaway rejected if you don’t meet the SRD’s eligibility criteria for receiving the grants. So, make sure you’re a deserving applicant for the relief. The regulations have not been changed since the initial Covid-19 period when the SRD grant was introduced. Here’s the criteria:

You must be a South African citizen, permanent resident, refugee, permit holder or asylum seeker living in the country.
Registered with the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) or Agency’s database.
Between 18 – 60 age group.
Has insufficient means of income.
Not receiving other grants.

2. Double Check the Information

It’s highly crucial that you recheck the information provided on the appeal before submitting it, which includes the following:

13-digit South African Identity Card Number (or Valid File Number, Passport).
Registered Mobile Number.
Payment Method (Bank Details).
Appeal Month.
Attached Documents.

Other than the information, also check the digits and spellings.

3. Update Contact Details

Next, you should verify that your contact details are updated in case your phone number has been lost or your banking details have changed.

As per the Amendment Regulations Relating to COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress, 2024, all persons who don’t contact SASSA for information updates after being notified within 90 days will have their applications suspended. You can do so from SASSA’s Contact Portal. Update is also necessary if your SRD registered phone number is lost.

4. Agree With Terms and Conditions

Finally, ensure you check the box confirming that you have read and agree to the terms in the Declaration and Consent Documents while submitting your appeal on the DSD webpage. This is a key factor in the success of your appeal.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Why SASSA Applications Get Declined?

Generally, the SASSA applications get rejected if the applicant is found to have an alternate income resource, is underage, or unfit to receive the grant.

2. What Should I Do If My Application is Rejected Again?

If your SASSA appeal for R350 declined again then you can submit another fresh appeal to show your disagreement with the decision.

3. Can I Reconfirm My SASSA Application After Appeal?

Yes, you can definitely reconfirm your SASSA application to remove any errors or misinformation from it.

4. How to Complain About Multiple Declined Appeals?

If your SRD appeal gets declined multiple times, you can inquire about it with the Independent Tribunal for Social Assistance Appeals (ITSAA) by phone at 012 312 7727, emailing them at [email protected], or visiting a nearby office.

5. What Should I Do If My Appeal Keeps Getting Declined Even After Everything?

If your SRD appeal keeps getting rejected even after you have done everything, then you can approach High Court for a judicial review within 180 days. It’s your right as given in the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act, 2000 of South Africa, and also noted by DSD.