Scottish benefits to be paid early this week due to…

Scottish benefits to be paid early this week due to Easter bank holidays

Scotland’s welfare provider has confirmed that some devolved payments and benefits will be paid early for some claimants this week due to the Easter bank holiday weekend. Social Security Scotland delivers more than a dozen benefits which are only available north of the border including Adult Disability Payment and Scottish Child Payment.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have already confirmed changes to scheduled payments that fall on Good Friday, April 7 and Easter Monday, April 10. In a Twitter post on Tuesday, Social Security Scotland also announced that any payments that are due on those dates will be made on Thursday, April 6.

The post said: “People who are due payments between Friday 7 April and Monday 10 April over the Easter bank holiday will receive these by the end of Thursday 6 April. All other payment dates will stay the same.”

The Scottish Government recently announced that 12 devolved benefits and payments are rising by 10.1 per cent this month, backed by an investment of around £430million. One benefit that will not be increasing is the Scottish Child Payment, which has already gone up by 150 per cent in 2022 to £25 per eligible child under 16 each week.

A total of 13 Scottish Government benefits are now being delivered through Social Security Scotland, seven of which are only available to people living north of the border. It’s also worth noting that Adult Disability Payment has replaced Personal Independence Payment (PIP) for new claimants in Scotland.

This follows on from the successful rollout of Child Disability Payment, which replaced Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for children and young people. More than 319,000 existing PIP claimants are being transferred from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to the devolved welfare system, in a phased approach which is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

Both these payments will match the uprating applied to PIP and DLA for Child by the DWP to prevent a two-tier welfare system.

Scottish benefits and payments from April 1

Adult Disability Payment

Daily Living Component (weekly amounts shown)

Standard: £68.10 (from £61.85)
Enhanced: £101.75 (from £92.40)

Mobility Component (weekly amounts shown)

Standard: £26.90 (from £24.45)
Enhanced: £71.00 (from £64.50)

Child Disability Payment

Care Component (weekly amounts shown)

Lowest: £26.90 (from £24.45)
Middle: £68.10 (from £61.85)
Highest: £101.75 (from £92.40)

Mobility component (weekly amounts shown)

Lower: £26.90 (from £24.45)
Higher: £71.00 (from £64.50)

Winter Heating Payment 2023/24

£55.05 (from £50)

Young Carer Grant

£359.65 (from £326.65)

Child Winter Hearing Assistance 2023/24

£235.70 (from £214.10)

Carer’s Allowance Supplement

£270.50 (from £245.70)

Job Start Payment

£294.70 (from £267.65)
£471.50 (from £428.25) - if you're the main carer of any children

Funeral Support Payment

Lower rate: £143.85 (from £130.65)
Higher rate: £1,178.75 (from £1,070.60)

Best Start Grant Early Learning Payment - will be uprated by 10.1%
Best Start Grant School Age Payment - will be uprated by 10.1%
Best Start Foods - will be uprated by 10.1%
Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment - will be uprated by 10.1%

Scottish Child Payment was increased to £25 per eligible child per week in November 2022.

You can find full details on the payment increases on the Social Security Scotland website here.

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