Sure Start Maternity Grant Checker

The short answer

• England, Wales and Northern Ireland: £500 once, for your first child, if you get a qualifying benefit such as Universal Credit.
• Scotland: £796.65 for a first child or £398.35 for later children, from the Best Start Grant.
• Claim from 11 weeks before the due date (24 weeks of pregnancy in Scotland) until the baby is 6 months old.
• It does not have to be paid back and does not affect other benefits.

What the grant is

The grant comes from the Social Fund, run by the DWP. It is meant for things like a pram, cot, car seat, clothes and nappies. It is a grant, not a loan, so you never pay it back, and it is ignored as income for Universal Credit and other benefits. It is tax-free.

You can claim if you are expecting a baby, have had a baby in the last 6 months, or have adopted, become the guardian of, or had a parental order for a child under 12 months.

Qualifying benefits

You or your partner must get one of these:

• Universal Credit;
• Pension Credit;
• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance;
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance;
• Income Support.

New Style JSA and ESA, Child Benefit and PIP do not count on their own. If you are waiting for a decision on a qualifying benefit, claim the grant anyway within the time limit.

The first-child rule

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland the grant is usually only paid if there are no other children under 16 in your family. Children count if they live with you, including stepchildren and children of your partner. The rule was introduced in 2011 to target the grant at the costs of a first baby.

Exceptions to the first-child rule

• Multiple births: if you already have a child under 16 and are expecting twins or more, you can get £500 for each baby beyond the first.
• No other children, multiple birth: £500 for each baby, so £1,000 for twins.
• Kinship care and other families’ children: some children under 16 do not count, for example if you look after them under a kinship care arrangement. GOV.UK lists the exceptions.

The rules on exceptions are detailed; if you think one applies, claim and explain your circumstances on the form.

Worked examples

When to claim

1. 11 weeks before the due dateEarliest claim (England, Wales, NI)

   Around 29 weeks of pregnancy.

2. 24 weeks of pregnancyEarliest claim (Scotland)

   16 weeks before the due date.

3. Baby is bornClaim still open

   You need the birth certificate or a midwife's form.

4. Baby is 6 months oldLast day to claim

   Late claims are refused, so do not wait.

How to claim

In England and Wales, fill in form SF100, download it from GOV.UK and send it to the DWP. A health professional such as your midwife or health visitor must sign part of it to confirm the due date or birth. In Northern Ireland, use form SF100 from nidirect. In Scotland, apply online through Social Security Scotland, which also checks if you can get Scottish Child Payment at the same time.

Payment usually arrives within a few weeks of the DWP getting the completed form.

Scotland: the Best Start Grant

Scotland adds £398.35 for each extra baby in a multiple birth, and pays two more grants later: £331.95 for an Early Learning Payment around age 2 to 3½ and £331.95 for a School Age Payment when the child starts school. Parents under 18, or 18 and 19-year-olds who depend on their parents, do not need a qualifying benefit.

What people spend it on

There are no rules on how you spend it. A typical newborn shopping list includes a cot or Moses basket with a new mattress, a pram or pushchair, a rear-facing car seat for the journey home from hospital, sleepsuits and vests, bedding, bottles if you are not breastfeeding, and nappies. Second-hand prams and clothes are good value; buy car seats and mattresses new for safety.

Other help for a new baby

• Healthy Start: £4.65 a week in pregnancy and £9.30 a week for a baby under 1, on Universal Credit with low earnings.
• Child Benefit: £27.05 a week for the first child.
• Universal Credit’s child element for every child, since the two-child limit ended in April 2026.
• Free prescriptions and NHS dental care during pregnancy and for a year after the birth.
• Maternity pay or Maternity Allowance if you have been working.

If you are refused

If the DWP refuses your claim, ask for a mandatory reconsideration within one month of the decision, explaining why you think you qualify. If it still says no, you can appeal to an independent tribunal. Common reasons for refusal are claiming too late, a missing health professional’s signature, and the first-child rule, so check these first.

Partners, couples and who claims

Either the mother or her partner can claim, as long as one of you gets a qualifying benefit. If the mother is the one getting the benefit, she claims; if only her partner gets it, the partner can claim instead. Only one grant is paid for each baby, however many people could claim.

You can also claim if you are not the parent but are responsible for a baby under 12 months, for example if you have a child arrangements order or are a guardian, and you get a qualifying benefit. In those cases the form asks for evidence of the arrangement rather than a health professional’s signature.

The evidence you need

Most claims are decided on the form itself. Before you send it, check that you have:

• part B of form SF100 signed by a midwife, doctor or health visitor, confirming the due date or the birth;
• your National Insurance number, and your partner’s if you have one;
• details of the qualifying benefit and who gets it;
• for an adoption or guardianship, a copy of the court order or the adoption agency’s paperwork;
• your bank details, so the money can be paid straight into your account.

If you claim before the birth, you do not need to send the birth certificate afterwards. Keep a copy of everything you send.

Timing the grant with Universal Credit

Many families claim Universal Credit for the first time during pregnancy, for example when maternity pay is lower than normal pay. If you are waiting for your first Universal Credit decision, you can still send the Sure Start form within the time limit: the DWP will check your entitlement once the Universal Credit claim is decided. Do not wait until Universal Credit is paid, because the 6-month deadline after the birth is strict.

When the baby arrives, report the birth to Universal Credit through your journal straight away. Your award gains a child element from the start of that assessment period, and you may also qualify for Healthy Start and help with childcare costs.

Budgeting for a new baby

£500 helps, but the first year with a baby usually costs more. A rough plan for the months around the birth:

• buy the essentials first: somewhere safe to sleep, a car seat if you drive, clothes, nappies and feeding equipment;
• ask family and friends for second-hand prams, cots and clothes, and check local baby banks, which give free equipment to families referred by midwives and health visitors;
• work out your income during leave with the maternity pay calculator, and check what Universal Credit adds;
• claim Child Benefit as soon as the baby is born, even if you earn over £60,000, to protect your State Pension record.

Differences across the UK

The Sure Start Maternity Grant is the same £500 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with the same first-child rule. In Northern Ireland it is administered by the Department for Communities rather than the DWP. Scotland replaced it in 2018 with the Best Start Grant, which pays more, pays for later children too, and adds payments when the child starts nursery and school.

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