Best Start Grants Scotland - Pregnancy and Baby Payment

Applies to: Scotland

The information below is for Scotland. For England, Wales or Northern Ireland please visit our Sure Start Maternity Grant guide.

Pregnancy and Baby Payment is part of  the Best Start Grant and it helps with the costs of having a baby. You can use the payment for anything you need. This could include pregnancy clothes, a pram, a cot, baby clothes and toy.

You can get a Pregnancy and Baby Payment even if you already have other children.

Can I get a Pregnancy and Baby Payment?

You can get a Pregnancy and Baby Payment if:

• You normally live in Scotland; and
• You are receiving any of these benefits:

  • Universal Credit; or

  • Child Tax Credit; or

  • Working Tax Credit; or

  • Income Support; or

  • Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA); or

  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA); or

  • Housing Benefit.

If you are under 20 and still in relevant education, and someone is getting Child Benefit, Child Tax Credit, the Child Element of Universal Credit or Pension Credit for you, you might be able to get a Pregnancy and Baby Payment even if you aren’t receiving any benefits.

If you are under 18, you can get a Pregnancy and Baby Payment even if you aren't getting any benefits.

To claim a Pregnancy and Baby Payment you also need to be 

• The baby’s birth mother and more than 24 weeks pregnant; or

• The parent (or partner of the parent) of a child under 6 months old who you are responsible for; or

• Getting Child Tax Credit, Child Benefit or the Child element of Universal Credit for a baby under 6 months old; or

• The adoptive parent or kinship carer of a child under the age of 1, and you are either getting Child Tax Credit, Child Benefit or the Child element of Universal Credit, or you have a court order that shows you are responsible for the child.

If your child was stillborn after 24 weeks of pregnancy or if your child has died, you can still get a Pregnancy and Baby Payment.

In most cases, you cannot get a Pregnancy and Baby Payment if someone else has already had one for the same child. There are exceptions to this if the child does not usually live with the person who received the payment for him/her or if you start caring for a baby under one as a kinship carer or are adopting a baby under one. If this is the case for you, you should speak to an adviser.

You cannot get a Pregnancy and Baby Payment if you got a Sure Start Maternity Grant for the same child.

How much Pregnancy and Baby Payment will I get?

Applies to: Scotland

If you are awarded a Pregnancy and Baby Payment and this is the first child in your household, you will get a grant of £754.65.

If you are awarded a Pregnancy and Baby Payment and you already have one or more children, you will get a grant of £377.35.

If you have a multiple birth (like twins or triplets), you will get an additional grant of £377.35 on top of the grant that you get for each child to help you with the extra costs.

For example: If you already have one child, and then have twins, you will be awarded £377.35 for each of the new babies (because they are your second and third child) and an additional £377.35 for the cost of a multiple birth, so in total you will get £1,132.05 

You can find out how to claim Pregnancy and Baby Payment in 'How do I claim a Best Start Grant?' guide. If you want to challenge a Pregnancy and Baby Payment decision, see our guide 'How do I challenge a Best Start Grant decision?' 

You might be able to get a higher payment of £707.25 for additional children if:

• You became responsible for them after their first birthday
• You left your home with your children due to domestic abuse 
• You are a refugee, and your child was born before you arrived in the UK

For more information, please visit the mgov.uk website.