Thousands of Brits in receipt of Universal Credit may be able to claim a one-off lump sum of £500 from the Department for Work and Pensions, with no need to repay the money.
And it's not just UC recipients who may be able to claim the substantial sum either. The Sure Start Maternity Grant allows parents to cover the cost of caring for a new child.
A person usually qualifies for the grant should they be expecting their first child, or should they be expecting several children and already have a child. It's also accessible for those expecting who are on certain benefits.
Read more: Universal Credit claimants may be able to boost DWP payments by up to £627 a month
The Daily Express reports that the grant must be claimed within 11 weeks in advance of a baby’s due date or within six months after the baby is born. To get the support, a person or their partner must receive one of these benefits:
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit
- Working Tax Credit that includes a disability or severe disability element
- Universal Credit.
Those who are receiving a Support for Mortgage Interest loan may also be eligible. A person who already has children under 16 may be able to get a grant if they are expecting a multiple birth.
They may also be able to get the funds if the child they care for is someone else’s, but not their partner’s, and the child was over 12 months old when they took on their care. A person can also get the payment if they are claiming for a family member who is having their first child or who lives with them.
They must be either under 16 or 16 to 19 years old and in approved full-time education or training. A person who is adopting or who is a surrogate parent may also be able to get the support.
The baby must be less than one year old on the date of the claim. They must receive one of the qualifying benefits and one of these conditions must also apply:
- You’ve become responsible for the baby and you’re not the mother
- The baby has been placed with you for adoption
- You’ve got permission to adopt a baby from abroad
- You’ve got a parental order for a surrogate birth
- You’ve been appointed as guardian
- You’ve an adoption or a residence order
To claim the support, a person must fill in the Sure Start Maternity Grant (SF100) claim form. A health professional such as a doctor or midwife will need to fill in the statement on page 10 of the application. The form can be sent without the statement if this is necessary to meet the deadline to apply.
In this case, the applicant will be contacted at a later date to arrange the statement.
The completed form can be posted to Freepost DWP SSMG without a postcode or stamp. The maternity grant has been replaced in Scotland with the Pregnancy and Baby Statement.
This forms part of the Best Start Grant along with the Early Learning Payment and School Age Payment. A person can apply for the Best Start Grant, as well as the Best Start Foods, using a form available on the Scottish Government website.
Universal Credit payments are increasing by 10.1 percent in April along with many other benefits. UK law requires benefits to go up each year in line with the September figure for inflation. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt confirmed the payments hike in the Autumn Statement last year.
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