Social security benefits and home carers’ salary increase |16 January 2014

The rates for social security benefits and home carers’ salary have increased following the announcement made by Minister for Finance, Trade and Investment Pierre Laporte in his Budget address last year.

The new social security benefits rates as well as the 20% increase in home carers’ salary took effect in January this year.

In the budget address it was announced that the retirement pension has increased by R200 to become R2,950.

Benefits that have increased by R130 are for injury, survivor (widows), sickness, disablement, industrial death and maternity. All these benefits were R2,250 and the new rates are now R2,380.

The invalidity benefit which was R2,580 is now R2,720, reflecting an increase of R140.
 
There has also been an increase of R80 to the orphan benefit moving it from R1,360 to R1,440.

The level of subsistence (supplementary benefit) rate was R2,370 and has now increased to R2,510.

For the dependant benefit, an adult’s rate which was R1,200 will as from this month amount to R1,280. For children the rate is now R1,130 for each child instead of R1,070.

The funeral benefit remains at R1600.

For the increase in home carers’ salary, those in full-day who were earning a total of R3,292 per month, their new wage is R3,950. Half-day carers’ former salary which was R1,972 has gone up to R2,370.