Scottish Child Payment

Overview

Scottish Child Payment is a weekly benefit from Social Security Scotland for low-income families with children under 16. It is paid for each eligible child and is intended to help with the cost of raising a family alongside other child-related support. To qualify, the applicant must be responsible for a child under 16, resident in Scotland, and in receipt of a qualifying benefit — most commonly Universal Credit, but also Pension Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Working Tax Credit, or Child Tax Credit. There is no earnings cap applied separately; eligibility follows from entitlement to the passport benefit. Payment is normally made every four weeks. Scottish Child Payment does not reduce the amount of Universal Credit or other means-tested benefits — it is disregarded. It can be claimed on top of Child Benefit, which remains available across the whole of the UK. Individual eligibility and amount are determined by Social Security Scotland on the basis of the qualifying benefit entitlement and the children in the household. This page references figures and criteria from the primary mygov.scot source; the authoritative source for any individual award remains Social Security Scotland.

Applies in Scotland. Administered by Social Security Scotland. This page is general information; contact Social Security Scotland for your individual circumstances.

Rates

Eligibility criteria include

• RESIDENCE
  Applicant must live in Scotland. ^{[Scottish Government]}
• AGE
  The child being looked after must be under 16 years old. ^{[Scottish Government]}
• HOUSEHOLD
  Applicant or their partner must be the main person looking after the child. This includes birth parents, partners of birth parents (if a couple, married, or civil partners), and kinship carers. ^{[Scottish Government]}
• INCOME
  Child Benefit alone is not an accepted qualifying benefit; one of the listed qualifying benefits must also be received. ^{[Scottish Government]}
• WORK STATUS
  Applicant can be in work or not, provided they meet the qualifying benefit criteria. ^{[Scottish Government]}
• INCOME
  Applicants who have applied for a qualifying benefit but not yet received a decision may still apply for Scottish Child Payment. ^{[Scottish Government]}
• IMMIGRATION
  Applicants receiving a benefit from a European Economic Area (EEA) country or Switzerland may be eligible; they should call Social Security Scotland for more information. ^{[Scottish Government]}
• OTHER
  The child must be named on the applicant's or partner's Child Benefit, Universal Credit, or Pension Credit claim to confirm the applicant is the main carer. Kinship carers must provide a letter from the local council or a copy of a legal order (e.g. Kinship Care Order, Residence Order, Guardianship order). ^{[Scottish Government]}
• INCOME
  A sanction or deduction on a qualifying benefit does not prevent an application, but the applicant must notify Social Security Scotland if a sanction or deduction occurs while receiving Scottish Child Payment. ^{[Scottish Government]}
• INCOME
  Applicant or their partner must be receiving one or more qualifying benefits: Universal Credit, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA), Pension Credit, Income Support, or income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). For Pension Credit, Income Support, and income-related ESA, only the applicant (not a partner) can be named on the benefit. ^{[Scottish Government]}

Sources