Social Security Scotland

07/09/2026

When can I apply for Young Carer Grant?

You can first apply for Young Carer Grant on your 16th birthday.

If you are still caring for someone, you can apply again annually when you are 17, 18 and 19.

You’ll have to wait one full year between applications. If you apply before this, your application will be rejected and you’ll need to re-apply.

04/09/2026

If you are more than 24 weeks pregnant and get Universal Credit or other qualifying benefits you may be eligible for up to £796.65. You can use this to spend on what you need to help you during pregnancy and after your baby is born.

This changes to £398.35 for any child that comes after your first.

04/09/2026

The Scottish Government has announced an increase to Scottish Child Payment for eligible children under one.

From 2027/28, the payment will rise to £40 per week and around 12,000 children a year are expected to benefit.

03/09/2026

02/09/2026

Will your child be at primary school next year?

To help with childcare, The Scottish Government has announced breakfast clubs will be available in all primaries from the start of the new 2027 school year🍏

We are helping children to flourish and parents to work.

From August 2027, breakfast clubs will be available in all primary schools in Scotland.

New after school and holiday childcare for primary school children will also be available from August 2029.

02/09/2026

Some of our online services will be unavailable this weekend to allow us to make improvements to our systems.

You won’t be able to access our online benefit applications or our document upload service from 5:30pm on Friday 4 September until 8am on Monday 7 September.

We apologise for any inconvenience.

01/09/2026

Are you a kinship carer?

If you get Universal Credit or other qualifying benefits you can can apply for Scottish Child Payment, Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods.

28/08/2026

If you need to add a child to your existing award, you can easily do this through the online Scottish Child Payment form. There is no need to do a completely new application