The Scottish Government is urging parents and carers to check their eligibility for financial support this Autumn ahead of the colder months setting in. The five family payments administered by Social Security Scotland can help pay for extra school term expenses alongside everyday family costs like food, clothing and days out.
This includes the Scottish Child Payment, a weekly payment of £26.70 for eligible families with children up to 16. The payment is worth £106.80 each month, unique to Scotland and currently supports over 329,000 children and young people.
Combined with Child Benefit payments from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), parents could be due up to £209 each month in additional support. Child Benefit is a separate UK-wide payment worth £25.60 for the eldest or only child and is also paid every four weeks, amounting to £102.40.
The three Best Start Grant payments and Best Start Foods, also part of social security support, are designed to help families at key stages in their children’s early years, including during pregnancy.
There is no cap on the number of children in one family who can receive these payments. Up to the end of March 2024, over £829 million has been provided to families across Scotland through the five family payments.
Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Shirley-Anne Somerville, recently said: “Even if you are working you could still get these payments and I want to encourage everyone to check if they are eligible and access the money they are entitled to.”
One-off payments for families
- Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment – one-off payment of up to £754.65 available after 24 weeks of pregnancy until a baby turns 6 months.
- Best Start Grant Early Learning Payment – one-off payment of £314.45 to help with the costs of early learning when a child is between two, and three years and six months.
- Best Start Grant School Age Payment – one-off payment of £314.45 to help with the costs of starting school available between June 1 and the last day in February in the year when a child is first old enough to start primary one.
- Best Start Foods – up to £42.40 every four weeks from pregnancy up to when a child turns three to help buy healthy food, milk and first infant formula.
Earlier this year, the Scottish Government extended eligibility by removing income limits for Best Start Foods. This means anyone who gets a qualifying benefit, and is pregnant or has a child under-3, is eligible, regardless of their other income.
Scottish Child Payment
Scottish Child Payment helps towards the costs of supporting your family and is a weekly payment of £26.70 that you can get for every child you look after who is under the age of 16. Payments are made every four weeks and worth £106.8 per child.
Parents, carers and guardians can get more information on the dedicated Children and Family section on mygov.scot here or by calling Social Security Scotland free on 0800 182 2222.
Extra help to pay for school clothes is also available through local councils. Parents and carers can usually apply for a ‘school clothing grant’ from July – fid out more here.