Thousands of SASSA Beneficiaries Unpaid After ID Verification Failures in August 2025
Thousands of South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) beneficiaries were left unpaid in August 2025 after failing mandatory identity verification checks. The ongoing review process has flagged many applications, leaving vulnerable recipients without their monthly payments.
As SASSA confirms the completion of August 2025 grant payments, reports have emerged of beneficiaries whose accounts remain unpaid. The majority of these unpaid cases involve applicants who have been listed “Pending Identity Verification” for several months, submitted outdated documents, or failed to declare alternative sources of income that exceed the grant’s means test.
SASSA confirms that grants are only paid to people who meet the eligibility criteria. To maintain compliance, SASSA applications are screened against multiple government databases, including NSFAS, UIF, SARS, and the Department of Home Affairs (DHA), ensuring that only vulnerable individuals benefit from social grants.
Challenges with Beneficiary Identity Verification
A significant number of Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant applicants reported difficulties with the online biometric verification system.
Some never received the required verification link from the SASSA website. Others faced technical errors with the online process. As a result, thousands remain unpaid for August, despite meeting other requirements.
What Beneficiaries Should Do
Beneficiaries who failed ID verification in August 2025, did not meet eligibility criteria, or had discrepancies in their personal details were not paid.
SASSA has urged affected individuals to visit their nearest ICROP community outreach point or SASSA office with a valid South African ID document.
Note: You can find SASSA office locations on the Contact page.
SASSA Outreach Programme
From 1 September 2025, the SASSA outreach programme will enforce the mandatory biometric verification across all grant types. This is an important step to combat fraud and strengthen beneficiary security.
If you do not complete your identity verification, your grant may be suspended until the process is finalised. Beneficiaries are strongly encouraged to complete ID verification at their nearest office or ICROP outreach location to avoid grant payment interruptions.
