Applications for the Scottish Child Payment have opened for parents and carers across Scotland.
The Scottish Child Payment is in place to help towards to cost of support a family. The payment of £25 per week, is paid for every child you look after who is under the age of 16, and is paid out every four weeks.
Those with children up to the age of 16 can apply for the cash as the Scottish Government recently confirmed that there will be increase to the weekly payment rate from £20 to £25, from November 14. This comes as there has also been changes to eligibility which can allow more people to qualify.
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Those who have already received the payment will have the extra £5 applied automatically and for those who need to make a new claim, payments will be backdated.
As the applications opened on Monday, demand proved to be high as the website crashed in the morning, as around 400,000 children are in families eligible for the cash. The scheme was previously open for families with children under the age of six, but as the conditions now include kids up to the age of 16, many flocked to the website.
Poverty campaigners described the shift as a “watershed moment”, with so many people trying to apply the website reportedly crashed on Monday morning.
But Nicola Sturgeon told the PA news agency as she visited a school in Glasgow: “There’s massive demand, and I actually welcome the fact there has been such a strong demand for applications for this extended benefit today.
“Yes, that’s created some difficulties for the website today, which will be sorted over the course of the day.”
By early afternoon on Monday, the website had been restored.
A spokeswoman for Social Security Scotland said: “The introduction or expansion of services is never without risks. We had staff on hand to monitor issues and to fix these quickly. This will continue throughout this week as we expect to see continued levels of high demand.”
As per the Daily Record, statistics released by Social Security Scotland suggested that the average processing times for new claims increased from 31 working days in March 2022 to 36 in June 2022. This means if you make a new application on November 14, when the eligibility rules change, you could receive your first payment at the start of the new year - and remember, this includes any backdated amount so you won't be missing out.
How to apply for Scottish Child Payment
If you're not getting Scottish Child Payment for any child you need to apply or re-apply and can do so on mygov.scot.
To add a child or children you’ll need:
- Your name, date of birth, address and National Insurance number
- The names and dates of birth of the children you want to add
To make a new application, you'll need the above information and:
- Your partner's details, if you have a partner, including their National Insurance number
- Your bank details, if you have an account
The form needs to be completed at once and there is not an option to save it and come back to it later. According to the Scottish Government, most people take around 10 to 20 minutes to complete the form, but it's okay if it takes you longer.
If you do not have a bank account, are managing someone else's affairs, or do not have a permanent address you can:
- Apply by post
- Call Social Security Scotland free on 0800 182 2222
Will it affect other benefits?
Scottish Child Payment does not affect any other UK or Scottish Government benefits that you, or any person in your household, currently get. Only one person can get Scottish Child Payment for a child. This means, if 2 people apply for the same child, Social Security Scotland have a process of deciding who gets the payment. This is called a double claim. The process depends on the benefits that you and the other person are getting.
Scottish Child Payment is part of a wider package of five family payments including:
- Best Start Grant
- Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment
- Best Start Grant Early Learning Payment
- Best Start Grant School Age Payment
- Best Start Foods
Who can apply?
Only one person can claim the payment for one child. The Scottish Child Payment does not affect any other UK or Scottish benefit that you, or any member of your household, claims.
You may be able to get Scottish Child Payment if all of the following apply:
- you live in Scotland
- you or your partner are getting certain benefits or payments
- you or your partner are the main person looking after a child who's under six years old
Benefits or payment you or your partner must get
You can apply whether you're in work or not, as long as you're getting one or more of the following benefits:
- Universal Credit
- Child Tax Credit
- Income Support
- Pension Credit
- Working Tax Credit
- Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA)
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
John Dickie, Director of Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland, said: "The roll-out of the Scottish Child Payment to over fives and the increase in its value to £25 a week marks a hugely welcome day for struggling families across Scotland and a real step on the road toward ending child poverty.
“This is a significant and uniquely Scottish boost to family incomes at a time when it is needed more than ever. It’s now vital that we all spread the word as widely as possible and ensure that all eligible families apply and every child that is entitled benefits.”
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