Every month, millions of South Africans wait for confirmation that their Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant has been approved. In February 2026, 1.2 million of them received a decline instead. The reason in almost every case: the R628 means test. If you have been declined, you are not alone, and in many cases the system flagged you unfairly. Here is a detailed breakdown of what happened, how the threshold works, and what you can do about it.
February 2026: The Numbers
SASSA processed approximately 8.5 million SRD applications for the February 2026 cycle. Of those, 1.2 million were declined, representing a 14% decline rate. While SASSA frames this as evidence that the means test is working as intended, a closer look at the data tells a different story.
The breakdown of decline reasons reveals a system that struggles to distinguish genuine employment income from everyday financial activity:
| Decline Reason | Share | Estimated Count |
|---|---|---|
| Once-off deposits (family transfers, refunds, e-wallet top-ups) | 68% | ~816,000 |
| UIF / NSFAS cross-reference | 18% | ~216,000 |
| State employee flag | 9% | ~108,000 |
| Other (duplicate applications, incomplete data) | 5% | ~60,000 |
Provincial decline rates varied significantly. Gauteng recorded the highest decline rate at 19%, followed by the Western Cape at 17%. These provinces have higher rates of informal and gig economy activity, meaning more people receive irregular deposits that trigger the means test without reflecting stable employment. You can check your SRD status to see whether your application was affected.
How the R628 Threshold Works
The SRD grant is designed for unemployed adults aged 18 to 59 who have no other source of income. To verify this, SASSA conducts a monthly automated sweep of bank accounts held at all major South African banks. The agency has data-sharing agreements with ABSA, Standard Bank, FNB, Nedbank, Capitec, TymeBank, African Bank, and Postbank, among others.
The process is straightforward but blunt: if your bank accounts show total deposits of R628 or more in any given month, your SRD application is automatically declined for that period. The system does not distinguish between different types of deposits. It counts everything.
| Deposit Type | Counts Toward R628? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Salary / wages | Yes | Any employer payment |
| Piece job / casual work | Yes | Even once-off informal work |
| Family transfer (EFT) | Yes | Parent, sibling, or friend sending money |
| E-wallet / CashSend receipt | Yes | Including FNB eWallet, Capitec CashSend |
| Refund from retailer | Yes | Returns, overpayment refunds |
| Loan deposit | Yes | Even informal loans from friends |
| Insurance payout | Yes | Funeral cover, short-term insurance |
| Child Support Grant | No | Excluded from calculation |
| Other SASSA grants | No | Foster Care, Care Dependency excluded |
| SRD grant itself | No | Previous SRD payments excluded |
| Bank interest | No | Interest earned on savings |
| Bank reversals | No | Debit order reversals excluded |
The System Cannot Tell the Difference
If your grandmother sends you R700 for an emergency via EFT, the system treats it exactly the same as a R700 salary payment from an employer. Both result in an automatic decline. SASSA's IT system performs a simple numeric check on total deposits and has no mechanism to classify the source or purpose of incoming funds.
This is why 68% of February's declines were triggered by once-off deposits. Hundreds of thousands of genuinely unemployed people were declined because someone sent them money, they received a refund, or they topped up an e-wallet. For a full explanation of the SRD grant and eligibility, see our SRD grant guide.
The System's Fatal Flaw
The R628 threshold was set in 2020 when the SRD grant was first introduced as a COVID-19 relief measure. It was calculated as the food poverty line at the time. Since then, the threshold has not been adjusted for inflation. In real terms, R628 in March 2026 buys significantly less than R628 did in 2020. Statistics South Africa's Consumer Price Index shows cumulative inflation of over 30% since the threshold was set, meaning an inflation-adjusted equivalent would be closer to R820.
Civil society organisations have been vocal in their criticism. Black Sash and the Institute for Economic Justice argue the threshold should be raised to at least R800 to account for CPI increases. They have also called for a fundamental redesign of the means test itself.
The core problem is the binary pass/fail approach. If your deposits total R627, you qualify. If they total R629, you are completely disqualified. There is no sliding scale, no partial benefit, and no consideration of whether the deposits represent actual sustainable income. A single R700 family transfer in a month where you received no other income results in the same outcome as earning a R5,000 monthly salary.
Why Not a Sliding Scale?
Advocacy groups have proposed a graduated means test where benefits reduce proportionally as income increases, rather than cutting off entirely at R628. SASSA has acknowledged this would be fairer but says the current IT system cannot handle the complexity. The agency's infrastructure, built for a temporary COVID-era grant, was never designed for the nuanced income assessment that a permanent programme requires.
The livelihoods grant transition currently under consultation by the Department of Social Development may address some of these structural issues, but no firm changes have been announced.
How to Protect Your Eligibility
While the system has serious flaws, there are practical steps you can take to reduce the risk of an unfair decline. The goal is to keep total deposits into your bank accounts below R628 in any given month.
Practical Tips to Stay Below R628
- Avoid receiving deposits over R628 total in any calendar month across all your bank accounts
- Use cash where possible. If family members want to help, ask them to give you cash in person rather than depositing money into your account
- Do not let family deposit money into your account. Ask them to use their own account and give you cash instead
- Avoid e-wallet and CashSend receipts. FNB eWallet and Capitec CashSend deposits are counted. Ask the sender to withdraw cash themselves and give it to you
- Time refunds carefully. If you are returning a purchase, ask the retailer for a cash refund rather than a card refund if possible
- Monitor your bank statements. Use your banking app to track incoming deposits throughout the month so you know your running total
- Keep one account clean. If you have multiple accounts, try to keep at least one with zero deposits (other than the SRD grant itself)
Remember: SASSA checks all bank accounts linked to your ID number. Having multiple accounts does not help if the total across all of them exceeds R628. You can use our Status Check tool to monitor your application outcome each month.
How to Appeal a Decline
If you have been declined and believe the decision was wrong, you have the right to appeal. The process is straightforward but time-sensitive.
Step-by-Step Appeal Process
- Step 1: Visit srd.sassa.gov.za/appeals within 30 days of your decline notification. This deadline is strict — late appeals are not accepted.
- Step 2: Upload 3 months of bank statements from every account linked to your ID number. All major banks allow you to download statements from their apps or internet banking.
- Step 3: Provide a sworn affidavit of unemployment. You can get this done at your nearest police station free of charge. The affidavit must state that you are not employed and have no regular income.
- Step 4: Write an explanation letter for each flagged deposit. If a R700 deposit from your mother triggered the decline, explain who sent it, why, and that it was a once-off family transfer, not employment income.
- Step 5: Submit and wait. An independent tribunal reviews your appeal. This process takes up to 90 days.
If your appeal is successful, you will receive back-pay for the disputed months. The grant amount will be deposited into your account for every month you were wrongly declined, subject to the tribunal's ruling. Note that the biometric verification crackdown has added additional identity checks to the appeal process, so ensure your biometric data is up to date with SASSA.
Keep Records of Everything
Screenshot your decline notification, save copies of all documents you submit, and note the date you lodged your appeal. If 90 days pass without a response, you can escalate to the SASSA regional office or contact Black Sash for assistance. Check the April 2026 payment schedule to know when your back-pay might arrive if your appeal succeeds.
Will the Threshold Change?
The short answer is: not yet, but possibly soon. The Department of Social Development (DSD) is currently conducting public consultations on the proposed livelihoods grant, which would replace the SRD as a permanent programme. These consultations include discussions about revising the means test methodology, potentially raising the threshold and introducing a graduated assessment rather than the current binary pass/fail system.
However, no confirmed changes have been announced. Any adjustment to the R628 threshold would most likely come with the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) in October 2026 or as part of the broader livelihoods grant transition expected in April 2027. Until then, the current system remains in place.
In the meantime, SASSA has indicated it is exploring improvements to its bank verification system that would allow it to better classify deposit types. Whether this materialises before the livelihoods transition remains to be seen. Civil society groups continue to push for urgent interim relief, arguing that every month of delay means hundreds of thousands of eligible South Africans are wrongly denied support.