The biometric step introduced by the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) for the September 2025 payment cycle affects the following key grants:
- R2,315 Older Person Grant
- R560 Child Support Grant
- R1,250 Disability Grant
Not completing the verification is likely to cause delays in payments and may lead to the suspension of grants. SASSA strongly recommends that beneficiaries make use of the biometric centres or SASSA offices at their earliest convenience to avoid biometric capture issues close to the payment dates.
The Reason Behind the Biometric Verification
The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has announced the use of biometric verification (fingerprints or facial verification) to improve the quality of social assistance biometric capture. This is needed to curb social assistance fraud in impersonation, identity theft, and multiple grant claims. The biometric verification ensures that the utilised social assistance funds are given to the deserving recipients and is in line with the global best practices in social assistance security.
Instructions on Completing Your Biometric Verification
The beneficiaries can complete the verification by doing the following:
- Visit a SASSA office, accredited centre, or mobile unit closest to you.
- Bring along your South African ID, as well as your grant card or reference number.
- Complete fingerprint scanning and/or facial recognition with the help of the designated personnel.
- Get verification that your biometric information has been properly recorded.
The entire process generally takes minutes, but getting there earlier means you won’t have to deal with lines.
What Are the Consequences of Not Verifying Your Identity?
Avoiding verification could lead to:
- Payments being held back until the verification process is done.
- Your grant being put on hold, which might lead to economic difficulties.
- The chance of your grant being put to a stop altogether, if the lack of verification continues for a long time.
Support and Accessibility Efforts
To address the issues that rural and older beneficiaries experience, SASSA has arranged for verification to be done through mobile units and through home visits or community drives, as appropriate. The agency has put out a call for beneficiaries to comply early in order to avoid inconvenience. It also strives to ensure the process is convenient and that accessibility measures are in place.
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