She had been receiving her Child Support Grant for three years. Then she got into university.
A first-year student from Soweto shared her story in a student Facebook group earlier this year. When her NSFAS application came through, she panicked. Was she supposed to cancel her grant? Would SASSA find out and suspend her? Would she have to pay money back? Nobody at the financial aid office gave her a straight answer. She spent two weeks terrified she had done something wrong when in reality, she had done nothing wrong at all.
This guide gives you the clear, honest answer that she never got. Can you receive SASSA and NSFAS at the same time? The short answer is: it depends on which SASSA grant you receive. Some combinations are perfectly legal and even encouraged. Others will get your SRD grant cancelled the moment NSFAS approves you. Knowing the difference before you apply saves you from a very stressful surprise.
What Is SASSA and What Is NSFAS?
Before getting into whether you can receive both, it helps to understand what each programme actually is and who runs it.
SASSA the South African Social Security Agency is a government agency that administers social grants to South Africans who cannot support themselves financially. It operates under the Department of Social Development. SASSA manages eight grant types including the Older Person’s Grant, Disability Grant, Child Support Grant, Foster Child Grant, Care Dependency Grant, War Veteran’s Grant, Grant-in-Aid, and the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) R370 grant. If you are unsure whether you currently qualify for the SRD specifically, the full SRD R370 grant eligibility requirements explain every condition in detail.
NSFAS the National Student Financial Aid Scheme is a government bursary programme run by the Department of Higher Education and Training. Its entire purpose is to help South African students from low-income households pay for university or TVET college. NSFAS does not just pay tuition. Approved students receive a full funding package that covers tuition fees paid directly to the institution, accommodation allowances, a monthly living allowance, a transport allowance, and a book allowance.
The two programmes exist for different purposes. SASSA keeps vulnerable people alive. NSFAS keeps students in school. Understanding that distinction is the key to understanding when they can work together and when they cannot.
The Core Rule: It Depends on Which Grant
Here is the answer most websites either bury or get wrong.
You can receive NSFAS and most SASSA grants at the same time. But you cannot receive the SRD R370 grant and NSFAS at the same time.
That is the dividing line. The SRD grant specifically and NSFAS are mutually exclusive. Every other SASSA grant Child Support, Disability, Older Person’s, Foster Child can continue alongside NSFAS funding under most circumstances.
Here is why that rule exists. The SRD grant was designed for unemployed people with absolutely no other source of income or financial support. NSFAS is a form of financial support. The moment you are approved for NSFAS, you by definition have another source of support, which means you no longer meet the SRD eligibility criteria. SASSA runs monthly reviews and cross-checks with the NSFAS database. When your NSFAS approval shows up, your SRD status will change to “NSFAS Registered” and your grant will stop. Understanding exactly what the “NSFAS Registered” status means and what other SRD status results indicate helps you know what action to take at each stage.
This is not a punishment. It is the system working as designed. The SRD grant exists for people with nothing. NSFAS provides living allowances, accommodation, and food support. The two should not run simultaneously because together they would duplicate the same support.
The SRD R370 Grant and NSFAS: You Cannot Have Both
This is the most important section for students who are currently receiving the SRD grant and planning to apply for NSFAS or who already have.
No one can receive funding from the SRD R370 grant and NSFAS simultaneously. Once NSFAS starts paying your monthly allowance, your SRD grant will be cancelled.
Here is exactly what happens in sequence:
You apply for NSFAS while receiving SRD. NSFAS approves your application. NSFAS registers your ID number in their system. SASSA’s monthly cross-check picks up the NSFAS registration against your ID. Your SRD grant status changes to “NSFAS Registered.” Your SRD payments stop.
The R350/R370 grant will eventually be terminated when SASSA conducts its monthly review, at which point the grant and payments will stop, and the SASSA grant status will reflect that you have another grant. If your status is declined, it will say “NSFAS registered.”
Should this worry you? Not if you are genuinely approved for NSFAS. The NSFAS living allowance of approximately R1,650 per month is significantly more than the R370 SRD grant. You are not losing money you are gaining more support through a programme designed specifically for your situation as a student. The SRD grant was a stopgap. NSFAS is the appropriate long-term funding vehicle for students.
What If You Are Showing as NSFAS Registered But Not Receiving NSFAS?
This is a separate and genuinely frustrating problem that affects some SRD applicants.
If you are not receiving any NSFAS grant but your status on the SASSA website shows you as NSFAS-registered, this could be due to the following reasons: you applied for NSFAS in the past but did not select it, you may not be getting the NSFAS grant but you have a history of getting it, or due to fraud, your ID ended up in the wrong hands and someone else is receiving the grant.
If this applies to you, the solution is to visit your nearest SASSA office with your ID document and evidence that you are not receiving any NSFAS funding a letter from NSFAS confirming no active funding, or a bank statement showing no NSFAS deposits. This situation can be corrected, but you have to initiate it in person.
Child Support Grant and NSFAS: The Nuanced Reality
This is where it gets more complicated, and where most guides give incomplete information.
SASSA Child Support Grants do not count as income that disqualifies you from NSFAS. You do not need to cancel your SASSA grant if approved for NSFAS.
So a student whose family receives a Child Support Grant for them can still apply for and receive NSFAS. The Child Support Grant does not count against NSFAS income eligibility because it falls well below the household income threshold.
However, here is the important nuance that most people miss.
The general rule is that you cannot receive two government benefits for the same purpose (survival/living expenses) at the same time. Once you register at university and NSFAS starts paying your monthly living allowance, your Child Support Grant should technically stop.
In practice, many students continue receiving both for a period because the systems do not always update simultaneously. But the correct position is that once NSFAS begins paying a living allowance that covers the same basic needs the Child Support Grant was designed to address, the Child Support Grant is supposed to stop.
The honest advice here: do not deliberately try to run both indefinitely. Report your NSFAS approval to SASSA if you are receiving a Child Support Grant. The cross-referencing systems are improving year by year, and being caught receiving duplicate support for the same purpose can result in recovery of overpaid amounts.
Permanent SASSA Grants and NSFAS: Generally Compatible
For the other permanent SASSA grants, the situation is generally more straightforward.
A student who lives in a household where a parent receives the Older Person’s Grant or Disability Grant is fully eligible for NSFAS. Those grants go to the parent, not the student, and they do not count as student income for NSFAS means-testing purposes.
SASSA grant recipients automatically qualify for NSFAS income eligibility because it proves you fall under the financial threshold. One of the most significant benefits for SASSA recipients is that you will not need to submit income documentation. NSFAS can verify your income status directly with SASSA.
This is actually one of the biggest practical advantages SASSA beneficiary households have when applying for NSFAS. A household where both parents are employed has to submit payslips, bank statements, employment letters, and credit bureau checks. A household where a parent receives a SASSA grant skips most of that. NSFAS links directly to the SASSA database, confirms the household income level, and the financial means test is essentially pre-approved.
The fact that you pass the SASSA means test which is much stricter than R350,000 per year proves you need funding. When you apply, the NSFAS system links directly to the SASSA database. It sees your ID number, confirms you are a beneficiary, and instantly approves the financial side of your application.
How SASSA and NSFAS Work Together in Practice
For students from SASSA beneficiary households, the two programmes can complement each other effectively when used correctly.
Here is a realistic example. A 20-year-old student in Limpopo lives with her grandmother who receives the Older Person’s Grant of R2,400 per month. The student applies for NSFAS and is approved. She receives her NSFAS living allowance, transport allowance, and book allowance. Her grandmother continues receiving the Older Person’s Grant. The two payments are separate, serve different people, and cover different expenses. This is completely legitimate and is exactly how the system is meant to work.
Another scenario: a 19-year-old unemployed student was receiving the SRD R370 grant before starting university. He applies for NSFAS. NSFAS approves him. His SRD grant stops automatically. He now receives NSFAS support, which is more comprehensive than the SRD grant. Again, this is the system working correctly.
The problem scenario: a student applies for NSFAS, gets approved, and continues receiving the SRD grant without reporting it. The monthly SASSA cross-check may not catch this immediately, but it will catch it. And when it does, SASSA can request repayment of the overlapping period.
What Happens to Your NSFAS Application If You Are a SASSA Beneficiary
If you are applying for NSFAS and you currently receive any SASSA grant, here is what to expect during the application process.
The NSFAS application asks whether you or anyone in your household receives a SASSA grant. Answer truthfully. This is not a trap it actually works in your favour.
When you submit your application, NSFAS cross-references your ID number and household details against the SASSA database. If SASSA confirms you are a beneficiary, NSFAS uses this as proof that your household income falls below the eligibility threshold. You do not need to upload additional income proof documents. Your SASSA status becomes your income verification.
If you are a recipient of a South African Social Security Agency grant, you automatically meet the financial eligibility criteria. However, you must still complete the application process and meet all other academic and citizenship requirements.
Meeting the financial threshold automatically is a significant advantage. It removes one of the most common causes of NSFAS application delays and rejections. Students from non-SASSA households often wait weeks for manual income verification. SASSA beneficiary households typically get the financial portion of their application confirmed within days.
The “Double Dipping” Question: What Is Allowed and What Is Not
People often ask whether receiving both programmes counts as “double dipping.” The answer depends entirely on which grants are involved and whether they serve the same purpose.
Legitimate combinations in 2026:
A student receives NSFAS while their parent receives the Older Person’s Grant or Disability Grant. These are separate beneficiaries and the grants serve different people.
A student previously received the Child Support Grant and is now receiving NSFAS. If the grant has been formally stopped following NSFAS approval, this is correct.
A student household receives the Foster Child Grant while the student also receives NSFAS. Different beneficiary, different purpose, different administering mechanism.
Illegitimate combinations:
SRD R370 grant and NSFAS running simultaneously. This is explicitly not allowed and will be caught.
Child Support Grant and NSFAS living allowance running simultaneously for an extended period after NSFAS approval. This is technically double-support for the same beneficiary’s living expenses.
The practical rule is straightforward. If both payments are going to the same person and covering the same category of expenses, they should not run at the same time.
What to Do If Your SRD Grant Was Declined Because of NSFAS
If you applied for the SRD grant and received a “declined NSFAS registered” result but you are not actually receiving NSFAS funding, you have options.
No matter the reason you are showing as NSFAS-registered, if you are not receiving it, you have to provide evidence to qualify for the grant.
Here is the step-by-step process:
Step one: Obtain a letter from NSFAS confirming that you do not have any active or pending NSFAS funding. This can be requested through the NSFAS website at nsfas.org.za or by visiting your nearest NSFAS office.
Step two: Visit your nearest SASSA local office with your South African ID document, the NSFAS letter confirming no active funding, and recent bank statements showing no NSFAS deposits.
Step three: Explain the situation to the SASSA officer and request that your record be updated. The NSFAS registration flag on your ID can be cleared once you have provided the necessary evidence.
Step four: Reapply for the SRD grant after your record has been corrected. If your reapplication is still declined and you believe it is incorrect, you have 90 days from the decline date to submit a formal challenge through the step-by-step SRD appeal process, which is reviewed by the Independent Tribunal for Social Assistance Appeals.
This process takes time. It is frustrating. But it is the correct path. Do not simply keep reapplying online without clearing the NSFAS flag first repeated online applications without resolving the underlying database issue will continue to produce the same declined result.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I apply for NSFAS while receiving the SRD R370 grant?
Yes, you can apply. But if NSFAS approves you, your SRD grant will automatically stop. SASSA’s monthly cross-check will pick up the NSFAS registration against your ID and cancel the SRD payment. This is expected and correct. The NSFAS support package is more comprehensive than the SRD grant.
Will my family’s SASSA grant affect my NSFAS application?
It will help it, not hurt it. SASSA household grants serve as automatic proof that your household income falls below the NSFAS means test threshold. You will not need to submit income documents for the financial portion of your application.
I was approved for NSFAS but my SRD still shows as active. What should I do?
The SASSA cross-check runs monthly. Your SRD will likely be cancelled in the next review cycle. Do not attempt to continue withdrawing SRD funds after NSFAS approval you could be required to repay those amounts. You can check your current SRD status at any time to confirm whether the cancellation has been processed yet.
My SASSA status says “NSFAS Registered” but I have never applied for NSFAS. What do I do?
This may indicate a past application you did not complete, a fraudulent application using your ID, or a system error. Visit your nearest SASSA office with your ID and a signed affidavit confirming you have not applied for or received NSFAS funding. Request that the flag be investigated and cleared.
Does the Child Support Grant count as income for NSFAS means testing?
No. The Child Support Grant does not disqualify you from NSFAS. However, once NSFAS approves a living allowance, the Child Support Grant for the same beneficiary is supposed to stop because both cover the same category of living expenses.
Can a student with a Disability Grant receive NSFAS?
Yes. If the student themselves receives a Disability Grant and meets all NSFAS academic and citizenship requirements, they can apply for NSFAS. The Disability Grant and NSFAS allowances are considered compatible because they address different aspects of the student’s needs. You can review the full SASSA Disability Grant eligibility criteria to confirm your specific situation.
The Bottom Line
The answer to “can you receive SASSA and NSFAS at the same time” is not a simple yes or no. It is a yes with one clear exception.
You cannot receive the SRD R370 grant and NSFAS at the same time. Full stop. If NSFAS approves you, the SRD stops. This is by design, and the NSFAS package is the better support option for students anyway.
For every other SASSA grant grants received by parents, guardians, or the student themselves for disability or other qualifying conditions the situation is generally compatible with NSFAS, provided the same person is not receiving duplicate living expense support from both programmes simultaneously.
If you are a student from a SASSA beneficiary household, your SASSA status is actually an asset in your NSFAS application. Use it. Apply through the official NSFAS portal at nsfas.org.za. When asked about household SASSA grants, answer truthfully. The system is designed to work in your favour.
And if your SRD grant was declined with an NSFAS registered flag that you do not recognise, address it at a SASSA office with documentation. It can be corrected it just requires you to initiate the process.
Have you experienced a situation where SASSA and NSFAS conflicted or worked together in your household? Share your experience in the comments. Your story might be exactly what another student needs to read right now.
Information in this article is based on official SASSA and NSFAS policies as of June 2026. Rules and eligibility criteria can change. Always verify current requirements at www.sassa.gov.za and www.nsfas.org.za.