Don’t miss out on support worth over £300
Parents and carers, with a child born between 1 March 2019 and 29 February 2020, risk missing out on hundreds of pounds worth of help if they don’t apply for School Age Payment in time.
The deadline is midnight on 28 February 2025.
School Age Payment is worth £314.45 per child. It is one of Social Security Scotland’s Best Start Grant payments. It is only available in Scotland.
The money can be spent on anything the child needs at this stage including; books, bags, clothes and equipment for school. School Age Payment is paid around the time a child is first old enough to start primary school. There is no requirement to take up a place at school.
This is important as parents and carers could miss out on the payment if they defer when their child starts school and don’t apply until then.
The payment is available for multiple children from the same household, as long as each child is the right age.
Social Security Scotland automatically pays School Age Payment to eligible people who get Scottish Child Payment. But those who do not receive Scottish Child Payment or who have opted out of automatic payments must apply before the deadline.
Some families who are not eligible for Scottish Child Payment might still be eligible for the School Age Payment. This includes parents and carers who: receive housing benefit, are under 18 and do not receive any other benefits or are 18 or 19 and dependent on someone else who receives benefits for them.
Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “If you have a child in the family aged five, or who turns five this month, then you could be eligible for School Age Payment.
“We are urging everyone who is eligible to make sure that they don’t miss the deadline for applications, especially as all the children in the household who are the right age can get the payment.
“Best Start Grant is made up of a series of payments designed to ensure that children in Scotland get exactly that – the best start possible in life.
“This money is an important contribution to families at a key stage in their child’s development when they may be facing additional costs.”