Best Start Grants Overview
The 3 Best Start Grant payments are:
Social Security Scotland Act 2018 gave new powers to Scotland regarding social security and the administering of social security benefits in Scotland. A series of family payments have been created for parents and carers on low incomes to assist with some of the costs that are incurred with having a child.
The payments offer support from pregnancy right up until your child is of school age.
The payments are grants which means that they do not need to be paid back in the way that a loan does.
This guide will talk you through each of the Best Start grants and discuss both the different payments and qualifying criteria for the individual grants.
What is the Best Start Grant?
The Best Start Grant is a trio of payments created to help towards the cost of being pregnant or looking after a child.
The grant comprises three one-off payments: a Pregnancy and Baby Payment, an Early Learning Payment, and a School Age Payment.
General criteria for qualifying for the Best Start Grant payments
There are certain qualifying criteria that you must meet to be eligible to claim any of the Best Start Grant payments. While each payment has different qualifying criteria, they all stipulate that you should:
- Live in Scotland
- Either you or your partner receive certain benefits or tax credits
- You or your partner are pregnant or are the main person looking after a baby or child who is the right age for payment.
- It should also be noted that you cannot get either Best Start Grant if you only receive Child Benefit.
You or your partner must meet all of the above conditions.
