Parents and carers urged to apply for back-to-school support worth over £300

With the end of the summer holidays fast approaching, parents and carers whose children are reaching school age are being urged to apply for School Age Payment.

The payment is available to parents and carers, on certain benefits, to help with the cost of starting school. It is worth £319.80 per child and can be used for things like books, bags, clothes and equipment.

Parents and carers can apply for the payment if they look after a child born between 1 March 2020 and 28 February 2021.

School Age Payment is only available in Scotland.

People who already get Scottish Child Payment will get School Age Payment automatically. But some people still need to apply including those who do not qualify for Scottish Child Payment but get housing benefits, those who have opted out of automatic payments, or those who are under 19 and dependent on someone else who gets benefits for them.

Parents and carers are entitled to claim School Age Payment from when a child is first old enough to begin primary school. Even if you defer your child’s school start date to the next year you are still entitled to the payment.

The payment is available for multiple children from the same household, as long as each child is the right age.

A range of online resources are available for stakeholders to encourage parents and carers to apply for School Age Payment. Fact sheets are also available for non-English speaking parents and carers.

People can apply for School Age Payment online, by post or by calling Social Security Scotland free on 0800 182 2222 to. Lines are open from 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.

School Age Payment is one of the Best Start Grant group of payments. These include Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment, Best Start Grant Early Learning Payment and Best Start Grant School Age Payment. They sit alongside Best Start Foods.

Best Start Foods is a payment of up to £43.20 every four weeks. It helps eligible pregnant women, parents, families and carers with children under the age of three to buy healthy foods from a range of supermarkets, small shops and online stores.

A person may be able to get Best Start Grant payments and Best Start Foods if they or their partner meet all these conditions:

• live in Scotland
• are pregnant or have a child who’s the right age for a payment
• are the main person looking after the child

The person or their partner must get one of these qualifying benefits to be eligible for Best Start Grant and Foods:

• Universal Credit
• Housing Benefit
• Income Support
• Pension Credit
• income-based Jobseekers Allowance (JSA)
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

People under 20 years old who do not get one of these payments, may still be able to get Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods.