How to Update Your SRD Banking Details (2026)

You update your SRD R370 banking details on the official website, srd.sassa.gov.za. Open the banking details option, enter your ID number, and SASSA sends an SMS with a secure link to the cellphone number on your application. Through that link you choose how you want to be paid and enter your account details. The account must be in your own name, and SASSA only pays into it once the bank has verified it. After that, your SASSA status check banking details result shows whether the new account was accepted.

Last updated: 27 October 2026 · By N Chris · Independent guide, not SASSA

On this page: Step by step · What you need · Branch codes · Payment options · Postbank in 2026 · What your status means · Verification failed · When the money comes · Details changed by someone else · FAQ

How to update your SRD banking details, step by step

The whole update takes about five minutes if you have your phone and account number with you. This is the order the screens come in:

1. Type srd.sassa.gov.za into your browser yourself. Don’t use a link from WhatsApp, Facebook or an SMS you didn’t ask for.
2. Scroll to the banking details section (“How do I change my banking details?”) and tap the button.
3. Enter your 13-digit ID number and submit.
4. SASSA sends an SMS to the cellphone number on your SRD application. It contains a secure link that only works for your application. Some people are also asked for a one-time PIN.
5. Open the link on the phone that received it. If it has expired, go back and request a new one.
6. Choose your payment method: your own bank account, Postbank, or Cash Send (money sent to your phone).
7. For a bank account, pick your bank, enter the account number and choose the account type. Enter the branch code if the form asks for it.
8. Read every number back slowly, then submit. You should see a confirmation message on screen.
9. Over the next few days, look at your SASSA status check banking details result. Our SRD status check guide shows how.

If the SMS never comes, the problem is usually the phone number, not the bank. SASSA can only send the link to the number it has on file, so a lost or changed number has to be fixed first. Our guide to changing your SRD cellphone number covers that, including the face scan.

What you need before you start

• Your ID number, the same one you applied with.
• The phone with your SRD number in it, switched on and able to receive SMSes.
• Your bank’s name and your account number. You can find these on your banking app, a bank statement or your card slip. Never guess the number.
• Your account type: savings, or transmission (also called cheque or current). Most low-fee accounts such as Capitec Global One or TymeBank EveryDay are transactional accounts.
• An active account in your own name. The name the bank has must match your ID. A joint account, a business account, or your partner’s account will be rejected.

Before changing anything on the SRD site, it helps to open your banking app or visit the branch and confirm that the account is active, FICA’d (your ID and address are up to date with the bank) and in your name. That one check prevents most failed verifications and keeps your SASSA status check banking details from getting stuck.

Universal branch codes for South African banks

Most banks use one universal branch code for every branch, so you don’t need the code of the branch where you opened the account. These are the codes the banks publish. If your bank app shows a different code for your account, use the one in the app.

Account numbers are usually 9 to 11 digits long. Type them without spaces. One wrong digit means the bank can’t match the account to your name, and verification fails.

Which payment option should you choose?

In a reply to Parliament, the Department of Social Development listed three ways SRD money is paid, and none of them needs a smartphone. Source: PMG, question NW3678.

For most people a personal bank account is the most reliable option, because the money doesn’t depend on an SMS arriving on payday. Cash Send suits people who have no bank account at all and keep the same SIM.

Postbank in 2026: what changed

• Post Office counters: from 1 May 2026, Postbank stopped cash deposits and withdrawals at Post Office branches. Customers use Standard Bank ATMs, retail stores and digital channels instead. Source: Sowetan, 5 May 2026.
• Gold cards: the old SASSA gold cards were phased out. The deadline to swap to a Postbank black card was 31 August 2026, and the government news agency said gold cards would no longer work after that. Source: SAnews, 24 August 2026.
• Contract dispute: SASSA ended its agreement with Postbank and the matter went to the Constitutional Court. SASSA says grants will still be paid, through other banks if needed. Source: EWN, 12 May 2026.

If you are paid into Postbank and something isn’t working, call Postbank on 0800 53 54 55 first. If you would rather move to another bank, open a personal account in your name and then change your SRD banking details as shown above.

SASSA status check banking details: what your status means

Your SASSA status check banking details result can show a problem in one of a few ways. SASSA has said that an approved grant may not be paid because the banking details are wrong, are still waiting for verification, or because the bank sent the payment back. Source: TimesLIVE, 9 September 2025.

The wording on the SRD site changes from time to time, so treat the table as a guide to the meaning rather than the exact text. Our SRD payment dates page explains when money usually lands each month.

Why bank verification fails, and how to fix it

SASSA checks every account with the bank before paying into it. Most failures come down to one of these:

• The name doesn’t match your ID. A married name, a spelling mistake or a missing second name at the bank can cause this. Ask the bank to update your details to match your ID.
• Someone else’s account. SASSA only pays into accounts in the grant holder’s own name.
• Joint or business account. Even if your name is on it, it won’t pass.
• The account is closed or dormant. Accounts that haven’t been used for a long time can be frozen. Ask the bank to reactivate it, or open a new one.
• FICA isn’t up to date. If the bank is waiting for your ID or proof of address, it may block payments in.
• A typing mistake. A wrong digit in the account number or the wrong account type.

Once the problem is fixed at the bank, go back to srd.sassa.gov.za and submit the correct details. The next SASSA status check banking details result should then move from failed to pending, and later to a pay date.

When the money comes after you update

SASSA has said that once banking details are confirmed and verified, payment is made from the next pay run. Here is what to expect from your SASSA status check banking details after an update:

• Changes made early in the month have a better chance of being verified before that month’s SRD pay window.
• Changes made during the pay window may only take effect the following month.
• Each month on the SRD site has its own status. If a month shows approved and is only waiting for valid bank details, check that month again after the update.
• If a month was declined, a bank update won’t change that. You would need to lodge an SRD appeal for that month.

We could not find an official SASSA statement promising back pay for every month that was held up by banking problems. If months stay unpaid after your details are verified, call the SASSA call centre and ask about each month by name.

If someone changed your banking details without you knowing

SRD fraud has often used stolen ID numbers together with bank accounts and SIM cards that were easy to open. In response, SASSA says it flags suspicious applications and asks the real applicant to confirm their identity with biometrics. Source: GroundUp via EWN, December 2024. Signs that your details were changed: your SASSA status check banking details show a bank you don’t use, money not arriving when the status says paid, or an SMS about a change you didn’t make.

1. Call SASSA on 0800 60 10 11 and report it. Ask for a reference number.
2. Go to a SASSA office with your ID so they can confirm who you are.
3. If your cellphone number was also changed, follow the steps in our number hijack section.
4. If you can’t get help, Black Sash runs a helpline on 072 663 3739.
5. Never give anyone your OTP, card PIN or the secure link SASSA sends you.

Permanent grants work differently

This page is about the SRD R370 grant. If you get an older person’s, disability, child support or another permanent grant, banking details are changed at a SASSA office, not on the SRD website. Take your ID and proof of the new account, such as a stamped bank statement or a letter from the bank.

Mistakes that hold up your money

• Using a fake “SASSA banking details link” from social media. Real SASSA addresses end in .gov.za. Our list of official SASSA websites shows which one to use.
• Changing banking details several times in a row. Each change starts the verification again and puts your SASSA status check banking details back to pending.
• Putting in a friend’s or family member’s account because you don’t have one.
• Choosing Cash Send on a SIM that isn’t RICA’d in your name.
• Paying someone to “update” your details. It is free, and they will need your OTP, which puts your grant at risk.

Frequently asked questions