Benefits - Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods

Benefits - Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods

Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods are payments that help towards the costs of being pregnant or looking after a child. Best Start Grant is made up of 3 one-off payments:

• Pregnancy and Baby Payment
• Early Learning Payment
• School Age Payment

Best Start Foods is a prepaid card that can be used to buy healthy foods like milk or fruit. The payments you can get now will depend on:

• How far along in your pregnancy you are
• How old your child is

Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods are 2 separate payments. You apply for both Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods using the same form. This is to make sure you can get all the payments you can without having to fill in more than one form.

If you are eligible to get one payment now and another in the future, you'll need to fill in a new form each time you apply.

Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment

Pregnancy and Baby Payment helps with the costs of having a baby. You can apply for this one-off payment during pregnancy to help prepare for your baby's arrival, or after your baby is born.

You can get Pregnancy and Baby Payment any time after you have reached the end of the 24th week of pregnancy until the day your baby is 6 months old. If your baby is born before 24 weeks, you can apply from this date up to the day your baby is 6 months old.

Best Start Grant Early Learning Payment

Early Learning Payment is a one-off payment to help with the costs of early learning. You can get the payment when your child is aged between 2 years old and 3 years and 6 months old. To get this payment your child does not need to go to nursery.

You can get Early Learning Payment for multiple children, if each child is the right age when you apply.

Best Start Grant School Age Payment

School Age Payment is a one-off payment per child. It helps with the costs of preparing for school when your child is first old enough to start primary school.

To get a payment, your child does not have to take up a place at school. You'll still need to apply in the year that your child is first old enough to start school, if:

• You're deferring when your child starts school
• Your child is not going to school 

Please note: School Age Payment has not replaced the School Clothing Grant.

Best Start Foods

Best Start Foods is a prepaid card every 4 weeks that can be used in shops and online to help you buy healthy foods like milk or fruit, if one of the following applies to you. For example:

• You're pregnant
• You have a child under 3

You may be able to get Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods if all the following apply:

• You live in Scotland
• You or your partner are getting certain benefits or tax credits
• You or your partner are pregnant, or are the main person looking after a baby or child who's the right age for a payment

Depending on your situation, there might be some other rules you need to meet to be able to get Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods. If you're a parent over 18, you can apply whether you're in work or not, if you're getting one of these:

• Universal Credit
• Child Tax Credit
• Working Tax Credit – this is Working Tax Credit with Child Tax Credit for Best Start Foods
• Housing Benefit
• Income Support
• Pension Credit
• Income-based Jobseekers Allowance (JSA)
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

If you're under 18, you do not need to be on any payments or benefits to apply for Best Start Grant or Best Start Foods.

• Apply online: here 
• By phone: 0800 182 2222 Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.
• By post: Call 0800 182 2222 to request an application

Find out more about it here

The Welfare Support Team provide free, impartial and confidential support to claim all benefits and entitlements including Best #Start Grant and Best Start Food. Contact the Welfare Support Team. Telephone: 0800 090 1004 or email: welfare.support@highland.gov.uk