The Scottish Government has revealed that starting November 14, all children who currently receive the Scottish Child Payment will see it automatically upped from £20 to £25 a week.
From November 14, applications for the devolved benefit will be opened to anyone eligible under the age of 16. Payments will also be backdated to the date of the application.
According to new data from Social Security Scotland, the average processing time for a new claim rose from 31 working days in March to 36 working days in June. As a result, if you submit a new application on November 14, you may get your first payment in the new year.
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As reported by the Daily Record, approximately £84 million has already be issued to households since the Scottish Child Payment was launched under 18 months ago. The £20 weekly payment to children under the age of six is unique to Scotland. It started in February 2021 in an effort to address child poverty by giving regular payments to families to help with the costs of caring for a child.
There will reportedly be more than 400,000 people under the age of 16 will qualify for the regular financial support. The Scottish Fiscal Commission predicts take-up of the payment for over 300,000 more children across Scotland.
Currently, weekly payments of £20 help approximately 104,000 children under six.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “The Scottish Child Payment is unique to Scotland, the most ambitious child poverty reduction measure in the UK and an important action to mitigate the growing cost emergency.
"We doubled the payment to £20 per week per child in April and the further increase to £25 from November means a rise of 150% in less than eight months.”
What is the Scottish Child Payment?
The Scottish Child Payment is intended to help towards the cost of raising children. It currently consists of a weekly payment of £20, but this will rise to £25 starting from November 14.
Scottish Child Payment is part of a wider package of five family payments including:
- Best Start Grant
- Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment
- Best Start Grant Early Learning Payment
- Best Start Grant School Age Payment
- Best Start Foods
Who can apply?
Only one individual can claim the Scottish Child Payment for a young person. It does not impact any other UK or Scottish benefits you may receive.
You may qualify for the Scottish Child Payment if all of the following apply:
- you live in Scotland
- you or your partner are getting certain benefits or payments
- you or your partner are the main person looking after a child who's under six years old
Benefits or payment you or your partner must get
You can apply regardless of whether you are working, so long as you gett one or more of the following benefits:
- Universal Credit
- Child Tax Credit
- Income Support
- Pension Credit
- Working Tax Credit
- Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA)
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
How to apply
For full details on claiming the benefit or to make a new claim, you can do it online here.
You can also apply over the phone by calling Social Security Scotland free on 0800 182 222.
Find out more about the Scottish Child Payment on mygov.scot here.
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