ocial Security Scotland – Current Benefits

Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment – one off payment of up to £600 from 24 weeks in pregnancy up until a baby turns 6 months for families who get certain benefits. This extends to 1 year if you have taken over looking after a child, i.e. adoption. You can apply whether the child is your first or not

If you get the Pregnancy and Baby Payment for your 1st child, you will be paid £600, then £300 for any child thereafter.

Best Start Grant Early Learning Payment – one off payment of £250 when a child is between two and three years and six months for families who get certain benefits. If you are entitled to the Early Learning Payment, you will get £250 for each child. You can spend this money on any of the things you need for your child at this age. This includes toys to help them learn or trips to new places.

Best Start Grant School Age Payment – one off payment of £250 when a child would normally start primary one for families who get certain benefits. When you need to apply for the School Age Payment depends on when your child was born.

Best Start Foods – a pre-paid card from pregnancy until a child turns three for families on certain benefits to help buy healthy food. You can apply for Best Start Foods when you're pregnant or any time up to your child turns 3 years old. The payments of Best Start Foods are:

• £17 every 4 weeks during pregnancy
• £34 every 4 weeks from your child being born up until they're a 1 year old
• £17 every 4 weeks between the ages of 1 and 3

Social Security Scotland look after Best Start Foods payments, but a company called ‘allpay’ will look after your Best Start Foods card. This includes things like lost and new cards. You need to be either under 18 or receiving certain benefits. There is an income limit for Best Start Foods.

Carer’s Allowance Supplement – an automatic payment made twice a year to people who get Carer’s Allowance through the DWP. From April 2020 the rate will be £230.10 per payment. To get Carer's Allowance Supplement you must:

• live in Scotland on a particular date
• be getting Carer's Allowance payments on a particular date

Funeral Support Payment – helps pay for funeral costs if you live in Scotland. You can use the payment towards funeral costs for a baby, child or adult. This includes babies who were stillborn. It does not usually cover the full cost of the funeral but it should help pay for some costs. It can be paid either to you or the funeral director who is helping you plan the funeral. You can get a Funeral Support Payment if all of the following apply:

• you live in Scotland
• you or your partner are getting certain benefits or tax credits
• the person who died lived in the UK
• the funeral is being held in the UK or in some circumstances in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland
• you are applying after the person has died, until 6 months after the date of their funeral
• you or your partner are responsible for the funeral
• it is reasonable for you or your partner to accept responsibility for the funeral costs

Usually, it is reasonable for the nearest relative of the person who died to accept responsibility for the funeral costs. A nearest relative could be a partner, child, parent or sibling. If you or your partner are not the nearest relative, you willl need to explain when you apply, why it's reasonable to have accepted responsibility.

Job Start Payment – You can apply for Job Start Payment if you're a young person who has been out of work and are on certain benefits. You must have been offered a job on or after 17 August 2020 to be eligible. You can get a one-off payment of £250, or the higher rate of £400 if you're the main carer of any children.

Young Carer Grant – Young Carer Grant is a yearly payment of £305.10 (2020/21) for young carers aged 16, 17 or 18 in Scotland. You must also have been caring for 1, 2 or 3 people for an average of 16 hours a week for at least the last 3 months. If you care for more than one person, you can combine the hours of the people you care for to average 16 hours a week. How you spend the Young Carer Grant is up to you. You could use it for things like new clothes, driving lessons or a holiday.

For further information visit Social Security Scotland or telephone Citizens Advice & Rights Fife on 0345 140 0095, Monday – Friday, 8.30 am – 4 pm.