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Best Start Grant is a Scotland-only payment covering three stages: Pregnancy & Baby (£796.65 first child, £398.35 subsequent), Early Learning (£331.95 at age 2–3.5), and School Age (£331.95). You must receive a qualifying benefit to be eligible. If you receive Scottish Child Payment, the Early Learning and School Age payments are awarded automatically.
Best Start Grant is a Scotland-only series of lump-sum payments to help families meet the costs of having a child at three key stages.
The three payment stages.
*Pregnancy and Baby Payment* — the largest payment, made once per child. For your first child: £796.65. For any subsequent child: £398.35. You can apply from week 24 of pregnancy until the child is 6 months old. This is designed to help with the upfront costs of having a baby: pushchair, car seat, bedding, clothing, and nursery setup.
*Early Learning Payment* — £331.95, paid once per child when they are between 2 years and 3 years 6 months old. This stage helps with pre-school costs, activities, and learning materials as children approach nursery age.
*School Age Payment* — £331.95, paid once per child in the August before they start Primary 1. This helps with school uniform, PE kit, lunch box, and other back-to-school costs.
Eligibility. You must be receiving a qualifying benefit at the time of each claim: Universal Credit, Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, Income Support, Income-based JSA, Income-related ESA, or Pension Credit. You must live in Scotland.
Automatic awards for SCP recipients. If you are already receiving Scottish Child Payment for the child, the Early Learning Payment and School Age Payment are automatically awarded — you don't need to apply separately. The Pregnancy and Baby Payment still requires an application.
How to apply. Apply through mygov.scot or call Social Security Scotland on 0800 182 2222. Applications must be made within the relevant age window for each stage. Missing the window means missing that payment — it cannot be backdated beyond 6 months.
What it replaces. Best Start Grant replaced Sure Start Maternity Grant (which still applies in England) and is significantly more generous: the Scottish first-child payment is nearly double the equivalent English grant (£500).
Yes — apply for the Pregnancy and Baby Payment from week 24 of pregnancy. You must be receiving a qualifying benefit (most commonly Universal Credit) to be eligible. Apply through mygov.scot. Payments are usually made within 10 working days of approval.
Each stage has a specific age window. Pregnancy and Baby: up to 6 months old. Early Learning: from age 2 to 3 years 6 months. School Age: in the August before Primary 1. If you miss a window, you cannot apply for that stage retroactively. Social Security Scotland will not prompt you — it is your responsibility to apply within each window (unless you receive SCP, in which case Early Learning and School Age are automatic).
No — Best Start Grant is not taxable income and does not affect your tax position. It is also disregarded for most benefit calculations, except Universal Credit, where it is counted as income (which may slightly reduce your UC). The net effect is almost always positive — you keep significantly more than you lose through any UC reduction.