The “Identity Verification Failed” is quite an obstacle for many beneficiaries who don’t know what it means and how to fix the status and start earning the SRD grant.
You’ll get the identity verification failed status on your R370 SRD grant application for various reasons.
We’ve put together this guide to help you understand this verification grant status and how to fix it.
Let’s get started.
Possible Reasons for Identity Verification Failed
A newly introduced measure, with the goal to prevent the most common SASSA SRD fraud of profile impersonation and others from using your details to get the grant.
Here are some of the common ones:
- Incorrect Personal Information: If the personal information provided during the application (such as ID number, name, and surname) does not match the records held by the Department of Home Affairs, the verification will fail.
- Data Entry Errors: Mistakes in entering information, such as typos or incorrect details, can lead to verification failures.
- Invalid ID Document: If the ID document used for verification is expired, damaged, or otherwise invalid, the process may fail.
- Duplicate Applications: If multiple applications are submitted using the same ID number or personal details, it can cause a conflict in the system, resulting in a failed verification.
- Inconsistent Records: Discrepancies between the information provided to SASSA and other governmental databases (such as the Home Affairs database) can lead to a failed verification.
- Unregistered or Incorrectly Registered ID: If the ID number provided is not registered or incorrectly registered with the Department of Home Affairs, the verification will not succeed.
- Technical Issues: Sometimes, technical glitches or system errors within the SASSA or Home Affairs databases can cause the verification process to fail.
- Fraud Detection: If there is any suspicion of fraudulent activity associated with the application, the verification process may flag and fail the identity verification.
If you encounter an “Identity Verification Failed” status, it’s important to double-check all the personal information provided and ensure it is accurate and up-to-date.
How to Fix The Verification Status
1. Verify Grant Information
Access your grant and cross-check the information supplied, whether they’re still correct or accurate. Maybe you recently changed your names at Home Affairs but forgot to update the details on the SASSA systems.
Ensure the provided banking details are correct, and match your personal details at SASSA and Home Affairs. Remember, Home Affairs verification is one of the methods SASSA uses to verify SRD grant beneficiaries’ details.
2. Verify Home Affairs Information
The most important step is figuring out exactly where your information is misaligned or incorrect.
You must visit Home Affairs in person, to get information on their systems, and to double-check and correct, if there are any discrepancies.
Compare these details against what you have on SASSA. Look for any small errors in the details to help you identify which system you will need to update and fix first.
3. Go for Biometric Verification
Once you have corrected your personal information at Home Affairs, you need to visit your local SASSA branch in person for a biometric identity verification.
They might use facial recognition and fingerprint scanning technologies to compare your details across the board, to help verify your identity there and there.
4. Appeal the Identity Verification Failed Status
Once you have actioned and fixed your information across the systems, it’s time to appeal the failed status to get your grant approved again.
Follow this step-by-step guide to appealing a decision, and clearly explain the reason for the appeal related to the identity verification and list all the steps you’ve taken, in an attempt to fix and verify the information.
You have a 30-day window to appeal the identity verification failed status, to ensure payments for the next grant cycle.
5. Wait for Feedback
The fix will not happen on the same day, it’ll take some time for SASSA to process and rectify the new information.
You’ll need to be a bit patient, which is why you must appeal earlier in the month, so it can be processed in time to get you approved for the same month’s payment cycle.