Scottish Child Payment – you can apply for extra support now!

Scottish Child Payment

One of the Scottish Government’s key priorities has long been to bring an end to child poverty in Scotland.

As part of their ongoing Tackling Child Poverty delivery plan the Scottish Child Payment aims to provide low income families with additional financial support, to help them to meet the day-to-day costs of living.

The Scottish Child will be an additional benefit, made available to low income families with kids under the age of six, that will help with the cost of raising them.

And, as of this month (November 2020), low income families with children under the age of six will be able to apply for this benefit.

What does the Scottish Child Payment give you?

Aimed at families with low income, who’re struggling to meet the costs of raising children, the Scottish Child Payment provides families with children under the age of six an additional £10 per child, per week; an additional £520 of financial support a year, to help with the cost of raising kids.

And this has no cap – so if you have six kids under six, you can apply for each one of them and you’ll receive a benefit payment of £60 per week; which would amount to an extra £3,120 a year!

The payment will be made into the bank account of one of, or the, parent every four weeks. And, although the Scottish Child Payment will begin at £10 per week, the Scottish Government has said it will review the impact of inflation and this could increase in line with inflation in the future.

Am I eligible for the Scottish Child Payment?

As we’ve discussed, the Scottish Child Payment is aimed at low income families, in Scotland, who have young kids.

To qualify for Scottish Child Payments, you’ve got to:

• Live in Scotland.
• Have kids under the age of six.
• Qualify as a low income family.

To be classed as a ‘low income’ family, you’ll need to be receiving one of the following benefits already:

• Child Tax Credit
• Universal Credit
• Income support
• Pension Credit
• Working Tax Credit
• Income-based Job Seeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

As long as you meet these criteria, you’ll get an additional £10 per week for every child in your household that’s under six years old. And again, there’s no maximum number of children that you can get support for.

How many people are eligible for the Scottish Child Payment?

There are thousands of families in Scotland that qualify for this new benefit; the Scottish Fiscal Commission initially estimating that around 194,000 children will qualify to receive the support he Scottish Child Payment will provide.

However, this number has risen considerably since it was first estimated, as the impact of the coronavirus has led to an estimate of an additional 24,000 children being expected to qualify for the Scottish Child Payment benefit.

Interestingly, although the Scottish Child payment is only available to children under six to begin with, it will eventually be extended to all families with children under the age of 16; which will support thousands more children and families throughout Scotland.

When can I apply for the Scottish Child Payment?

The short answer is – now!

Social Security Scotland is already processing thousands of applications, and projects to process many thousands more before the first payments begin to be made, in February 2021.

Originally, the first payments were scheduled to be made at the end of 2020. However, due to the impact of the coronavirus – both on the numbers expected to apply, and the backlog of work after lockdown, earlier this year – the timetable has now been extended and the first payments will be made in February.

Additionally, the Scottish Government has committed to extending the scheme to include all children under 16 by the end of 2022.

To apply for the Scottish Child Payment scheme, simply click here to apply on the MyGov website.

For those who apply before Monday 15 February, their payment will be calculated from Monday 15 February. For those who apply after Monday 15 February, their payment will be calculated from the date they apply.

What do I do if I need further help with my finances?

It’s no secret that times are hard at the moment… for everyone. But, if you were already struggling with your finances before coronavirus, then it’s highly likely that the pandemic has further exacerbated your situation even more.

If this is the case, a call with one of our team of advisers can help you get in control of your debts, or just give you the advice you need to help get you back on the road to debt free.

We’ve helped thousands of people to get their finances back in order, and we can help you too.

If you need help, give us a call on 0141 413 8281, or click here to fill in our online form and we’ll call you back at a time that’s convenient for you.