Social Security Scotland has issued an important update for new and existing claimants of Scottish Child Payment who are still waiting on the outcome of their application. The devolved benefit is now £25 per week for parents and carers of children up to the age of 16, worth £100 per month, per eligible child.
Following the rule change on November 14, Social Security Scotland has announced that it received a “high volume of applications” and is “working hard to process applications as quickly as possible” however, some people who applied for the first time, or who added an extra child to an existing application, may not have had their decision yet.
It has now said it aims to ensure that the “majority of people who applied before Christmas will see their application processed before the end of February”. Successful applicants will see their payment calculated from the date of the claim, so nobody will miss out on any money.
Social Security Scotland added that tens of thousands of eligible new applicants received their payments before Christmas and will keep claimants still waiting on a decision updated on its progress.
Social Security Scotland explained: “People don’t always get their decisions in the order they applied as how long it takes us to process can depend on the evidence we have available to check eligibility.
“If clients are eligible, payments will be calculated from the day of application.”
However, it also asked people to “avoid calling for an update” on their application.
It explained: “When the phone lines become very busy it means that fewer staff are able to process applications.
“Therefore, we encourage clients to avoid calling for an update.
“Our staff are working hard to process applications and reduce processing times and will be in touch with clients directly if we require any further information.”
What is the Scottish Child Payment?
Scottish Child Payment helps towards the costs of supporting your family. It is a weekly payment of £25 that you can get for every child you look after who is under 16 years of age.
You will get £25 per week, per child and the money is paid every four weeks.
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 get Scottish Child Payment for a child and it does not affect any other UK or Scottish Government benefits that you, or any person in your household, currently get.
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 is under 16
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)
How to apply
For full details on claiming the benefit or to make a new claim, you can do it online here.
You can also apply over the phone by calling Social Security Scotland free on 0800 182 222.
Find out more about the Scottish Child Payment on mygov.scot here.
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