What benefits are you entitled to for your baby?

Your due date may be approaching, or maybe you’ve already got your baby registered and their birth certificate has arrived today. You might want to start thinking about the financial help you are entitled to or other benefits you can claim. 

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What Is The Pregnancy Grant In The UK?

The pregnancy grant – otherwise known as the Sure Start Maternity Grant – is a means-related one-off payment of £500 for some new parents. You can use it to buy essentials and baby equipment if this will be your first child. You may also be able to claim it if you already have children but are expecting twins, triplets – or other multiples!

Read in Cymraeg (Welsh) here. 

For parents in Scotland, the payments are called Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods. 

Am I Eligible For The Sure Start Maternity Grant?

If you or your partner already get certain benefits like Universal Credit, you will usually qualify for the grant. This also needs to be your first child, or you are expecting multiples. 

How Do I Apply For The Sure Start Maternity Grant?

You need to apply within 6 months of your baby being born, or within 11 weeks of the baby’s due date. 

You’ll need your MAT B1 form from your doctor or midwife. 

You can either download and fill in a PDF on a laptop or desktop computer, or print and fill in the form to post. You can’t use a mobile phone or tablet to complete the form.

For Northern Ireland, click here

For Scotland, follow this link. 

How Do I Register For Benefits Like Child Benefit, Universal Credit And Child Tax Credit? 

First you need to register your baby’s birth (see our blog post on how to Register A Birth).

Once you’ve registered your baby’s birth, you can then apply for benefits like child benefit and child tax credit.

Am I Eligible For Child Tax Credit?

If you already get Working Tax Credit, you can apply for Child Tax Credit. Check out more information about Working Tax Credit here (generally it’s for if you work a minimum of 16 hours but are on a low income. If you have a partner, you’ll be assessed jointly and at least one of you needs to work 16 hours, with 24 hours minimum between you).

Child Tax Credit does not affect Child Benefit. 

If you can’t apply for Child Tax Credit, you may be able to apply for Universal Credit: this is if you’re out of work, can’t work or if you’re on a low income. 

What Is Child Benefit?

Child benefit is £25.60 a week for the first child, and £16.85 for additional children. There is no limit to the number of children you can claim for. Payments are usually made every four weeks to a nominated bank account. This is a universal payment to all families with children, provided you individually earn below the ‘high income’ threshold of £60, 000. 

If you or your partner are in a ‘high income’ bracket, you may have to pay a tax charge to receive benefit payments. Alternatively, you can opt out of payments altogether and not pay the charge. But you should still fill in the Child Benefit Claim form to receive other automatic benefits like National Insurance credits. 

Be aware that child benefit will count towards the benefit cap but you’ll still receive the full payment of child benefit. It’s your other benefits which may be reduced. 

What Are The Advantages Of Filling In The Child Benefit Claim Form If I’m In The Higher Income Bracket?

Even if you think that you won’t claim the child benefit payments, you should still make an application for Child Benefit as it will give you National Insurance credits. Credits count towards your State Pension if you’re not working or earning enough to pay N.I. contributions. These credits are automatic when you have a child under 12. 

Your child will also be sent a National Insurance number automatically just before their 16th birthday. So you won’t need to remember to apply for this later down the line. 

What Is The Baby Box Scheme?

This is a scheme running in Scotland, which aims to provide families with items needed for the first 6 months of a baby’s life. Once you’ve filled in a form with your midwife, you should receive a Baby Box around 4 weeks before your due date. 

You’ll receive items like a mattress, clothes and books – click here for a full list and some extra-cute pictures of babies actually sleeping in the box!

What Other Benefits are Out there?

Check out the requirements for Tax-Free Childcare here and apply online. Both you (and your partner if you have one) need to be working and earning a minimum amount each over 3 months. 

You can also get Tax-Free Childcare alongside the free 15 or 30 hours childcare. Click here to see if you’re eligible for free childcare. However, you can’t apply for tax-free childcare alongside working tax credits. 

If you were on the older childcare voucher scheme, remember you can use vouchers to pay for childcare and holiday clubs up until your child turns 18. For parents who joined before October 2018, you can keep getting the vouchers. If you want to switch to tax-free childcare instead, read more here. 

Click here for a comprehensive list of financial support and help out there, including ISAs for children.