More than £300 of support for primary school children
People urged to apply for School Age Payment before February deadline
We are encouraging parents and carers to apply for over £300 of School Age Payment support to help give children the best start when they are old enough to join primary school.
Parents and carers have until midnight on 28 February 2026 to submit their application. School Age Payment applications are submitted through the MyGov.Scot website.
School Age Payment is worth £319.80 for each child to help with the cost of preparing for school.
The payment helps carers and families facing additional costs at a key stage in a child’s development. The money can be spent on anything a child might need for school, including clothes, school trips and stationery.
School Age Payment is part of our Best Start Grant package, which is unique to Scotland, and is available for children born between 1 March 2020 and 28 February 2021. Parents and carers can receive the payment for multiple children born during this time and there is no requirement to take up a place at school.
Since the launch of Best Start Grant in 2018, Social Security Scotland has delivered School Age Payment to more than 114,000 parents and carers.
Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Shirley-Anne Somerville, said:
“Families and carers should not miss out on support they are entitled to – especially at such an important milestone in a child’s life. School Age Payment helps ease the financial pressures of starting school while playing an important role in our mission to tackle child poverty. I strongly encourage parents and carers to check if they are eligible and apply before the February deadline to make sure their child gets the best start possible.”
Help spread the word by visiting our School Age Payment stakeholder resources page where you can find posters and social media copy to share with your network: https://www.socialsecurity.gov.scot/school-age-payment-resources