SASSA Status Pending [2024]: What Does It Mean & How To Fix It?

You receive the benefits of SASSA social grants only if your application is approved. To know if your application is approved or not, you should regularly check the status of your application. If your SASSA SRD R350 application is pending and upon checking the status, it gives the result as “SASSA status pending,” then you must know what it means and how to solve this issue.

As per the statistics shared by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana, around 18.6 million South African citizens receive social grants. Millions of people apply for various social grants, including the SASSA SRD grant, and as a result, it becomes difficult to handle and process so many applications in a short time. It takes time to verify your details and process your application.

If your application or reapplication is taking more time than expected and your status is still pending, then you must understand why it is pending. Your status may be pending because of additional documents or your details. Let’s see the possible reasons for SASSA Status pending.

What Does SASSA Status Pending Mean?

What is the SASSA status pending? – When you submit your application, it is sent to SASSA for verification. SASSA status pending indicates that the committee needs more time to review and verify your application before approving it. You must fulfill all the eligibility criteria to receive the SASSA grants successfully.

To check your eligibility SASSA verifies your details with the Department of Home Affairs, which checks your financial records and official identity documents. So if the application status is pending, it doesn’t mean your application is rejected. It indicates that SASSA needs more time to review your application.

Once SASSA completes the verification and approves your application, you will receive an approval notification. If the application is declined, then they will provide a written explanation of why it was rejected. You will be asked to provide your bank details to receive the grant payments if your application is approved.

Reasons Why Your Status is Still Pending

Several factors delay your application processing, and that’s why your application status shows pending. The most common reason is a high volume of applications. SASSA receives millions of applications, and they verify all applications manually, which is time-consuming. So your application might be in a queue.

SASSA also checks your information with multiple databases to verify your eligibility. Below are the most common databases:

Department of Home Affairs Verification: The details you provided and your details present in the Department of Home Affairs database must match. Your ID number, name, and residency details are verified in this process. This is done to check if you are a South African citizen, a permanent resident, or a refugee.
Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) Check: You should not receive any unemployment benefits from UIF. SASSA does this verification to check if you receive the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF).
NSFAS Funds Verification: Your details will be verified to check if you are receiving any financial aid under the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).
South African Revenue Services (SARS) Check: SASSA has specified the income and asset threshold for each grant. Your financial status is checked in the SARS database.

There are some databases through which your application undergoes. Based on different grants, it may vary. Once your application is verified against all databases, It is further sent for fraud assessment. SASSA has zero tolerance for fraudulent activities. Your ID and phone number are assessed through the fraud risk scoring system.

Now you can understand why your application processing takes more time. Your grant application goes through a rigorous verification process.

How Do I Fix The SASSA Status Pending Issue?

SASSA has stated that after you submit your application, it will take 30 days to 3 months to complete the verification process. If your application is still pending even after 90 days, then you must take some action to avoid further delay and get your application approved. You can use the following methods to get your application approved:

Contact SASSA via WhatsApp

You can contact SASSA officials via WhatsApp at 082 046 8553 to learn more about your application progress. You will be asked for your details to know the reason behind the application delay.

Call SASSA via the Toll-Free Number

SASSA has given the Toll-Free number to help the grant applicants. You can call SASSA officials at 0800 60 10 11 and ask about your application status. After checking your application, SASSA agents will share with you the exact reasons for the delay.

Visit your local SASSA office

SASSA has offices in every region. You can visit your nearest SASSA office to inquire about your application. The SASSA representative will ask you for your details and will share the application update with you.

How long does it take to get your application approved?

After you have submitted your application, it is sent to SASSA for verification. Generally, SASSA takes 30 to 90 days to complete the verification. This processing time varies because of the number of applications received. If your application is not approved even after 90 days, then you can use the above methods to fix the pending issue.

How to Avoid the SASSA Status Pending Issue?

You can’t get the grant payment until your application is approved. The delay in the application approval is frustrating. To avoid such longer delays, you can follow the given best practices.

Submit Complete Information: Always submit complete information. If you fail to provide the missing information, SASSA will keep your application pending until you provide the complete information. This delays your grant process.
Always provide true and correct information: As stated above, SASSA has zero tolerance for fraud. So always share true and correct information. If you provide false and incorrect information, then it will be considered fraud. It will result in further delay until you share your correct details.
Provide the required documents: To prove your eligibility for a particular grant, you have to submit the documents. Always submit all the required documents. If you fail to submit, you will be asked to submit those documents, which again results in a delay.

There are points you must follow to avoid any delay. If we provide all the correct and true details along with all the required documents, SASSA will not have any issues verifying your application. It makes the process seamless.

FAQs

You must contact SASSA as soon as possible to understand why your application is pending and take the necessary steps.

You should check your SRD status to see if your application is approved or not.

SASSA status pending means your application is still under review and has not been approved yet. SASSA needs more time to verify your application.

Generally, SASSA takes 30 to 90 days to verify your application. If it takes more time, then contact SASSA as soon as possible.

Conclusion

Millions of citizens receive social grants, and that’s why SASSA has to deal with the millions of applications. It delays your application processing. SASSA status pending doesn’t mean your application is rejected; it means your application is yet to be reviewed. The process may take a maximum of 90 days. If it goes beyond that, then you can contact SASSA to understand the reason.