Scottish Child Payment & Best Start Grant School Age Payment

Scottish Child Payment is open for applications

Scottish Child Payment is a new payment for families on tax credits or certain benefits to help towards the costs of looking after a child. It’s £40 paid every four weeks for each child under six.

The payment starts on Monday 15 February 2021, with first payments made from the end of February onwards, but Social Security Scotland has been taking applications early to help manage demand.

You can apply if your child will be under six on 15 February 2021.

The qualifying benefits are:

  • Child Tax Credit
  • Income Support
  • Pension Credit
  • Working Tax Credit
  • Universal Credit
  • Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) Social

Security Scotland will ask for evidence that the person applying is responsible for a child under six, usually through the child being named on a benefit claim form.

If more than one person applies for the same child, there’s a process for deciding who gets the payment – prioritising the person who the child lives with most of the time.

Scottish Child Payment will not be taken into account for UK benefit and tax credit assessments and there is no cap on the number of children this payment can support.

First payments will be made from late February onwards. When someone gets paid will depend on how many applications we get and the process each individual application goes through.

If someone applied before Monday 15 February 2021, this will be the date that their payment will be calculated from. If they apply after this date, it will be calculated from the date that they applied. Payments will be made every four weeks following the first payment.

Find out more information and apply at mygov.scot/scottish-child-payment or call Social Security Scotland on 0800 182 2222.

FactsheetsScottish Child Payment Factsheet.pdf – These are also available in a variety of different languages if required on the Social Security Scotland website.


Best Start Grant – School Age

 

People with children who were born between 1 March 2015 and 29 February 2016 could be eligible for a Best Start Grant School Age Payment but they must apply before 28 February this year.

FactsheetBest Start Grant School Age Factsheet

Factsheets available in a variety of languages and can be found on the Social Security Scotland website.

 

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