Families in Scotland claiming certain benefits can now access a range of devolved payments, including the new Scottish Child Payment, which is worth £25 per week for every child under the age of 16. Parents who qualify for the extra financial support, which is paid every four weeks, who are also eligible for the Best Start Grant Early Learning and School Age payments will receive them automatically without the need to apply for them separately.
Social Security Scotland will notify eligible claimants by text message when they are checking eligibility for the Best Start Grants and, if they are eligible, will write to advise them of the payment. The move to automatic awards will mean less paperwork for tens of thousands of families and ensure that people automatically receive the support to which they are entitled.
The move builds on work already completed to make applying for Social Security Scotland’s five family payments as simple as possible. It also includes the ability to apply for all children in a household on a single form.
Scottish Child Payment eligibility increased to £25 per week for children under 16 in November last year as part of the Scottish Government's ongoing plan to tackle child poverty.
Commenting on the time for the extension, Minister for Social Security, Ben Macpherson said: "Our extension to the Scottish Child Payment and its increase to £25 per child per week has been widely welcomed and will make a significant difference to families across the country. The increase represents a rise of 150% in just eight months.
“The increase and extension was described as a watershed moment in tackling child poverty by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and already people have applied in their tens of thousands.”
What is the Scottish Child Payment?
Scottish Child Payment helps towards the costs of supporting your family. It is a weekly payment of £25 that you can get for every child you look after who's under 16 years of age.
You will get £25 per week, per child. The money is paid every four weeks.
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 person can get Scottish Child Payment for a child and it does not affect any other UK or Scottish Government benefits that you, or any person in your household, currently get.
You may be able to get 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 whether you're in work or not, as long as you're getting 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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