You could get a one-off payment of £500 to help towards the costs of having a child.
To qualify for the Sure Start Maternity Grant, you must meet the following criteria:
Receiving the grant does not require repayment, nor does it affect your other benefits or tax credits. The grant amount is £500, and it does not apply if you already have children. However, if you have children under 16, you may be eligible for the grant if you’re expecting twins or triplets, with the amount dependent on your existing children.
Eligibility
To qualify for the Sure Start Maternity Grant, you or your partner must receive any of the following benefits:
If you have refugee or humanitarian protection status or have left Ukraine or Afghanistan, you can receive the grant if you have children from before arriving in the UK and meet the respective conditions. Moreover, if you’re claiming for a family member who lives with you, the grant can be obtained if the family member is having their first child and meets the age and education/training requirements.
If you’re adopting a child or becoming a surrogate parent, you may also qualify for the grant if the baby is under 1 year old, you receive one of the listed benefits, and certain circumstances apply to your situation.
Expectant parents. (Eligibility criteria applies)
You can claim from 11 weeks before the week your baby is due. The latest you can claim is 6 months after your baby is born.
If you’re becoming responsible for a child, you must claim within 6 months of this happening. For example, if you’re adopting a child, you must claim within 6 months of the child being placed with you.
Claim by post
To print out and fill in the form Visit the Sure Start Maternity Grant Claim form page on the Gov.UK website
Get a health professional (such as a doctor or midwife) to either fill in:
You can send your form without the health professional’s statement or form if necessary to meet the deadline. If you do this, you’ll be contacted about arranging the statement at a later date.
Post your form with the health professional’s form or statement to ‘Freepost DWP SSMG’. You do not need a postcode or a stamp.
You will get a letter telling you if your claim was successful.
If you get Universal Credit, you will not get a decision on your claim until after your next payment.
Get help with your claim
Call the Sure Start Maternity Grant helpline or you can also contact Jobcentre Plus.
To find your local Jobcentre Plus office Visit the Local Office Search page on the Jobcentre Plus website
Sure Start Maternity Grant Helpline: 0800 169 0140
Relay UK (if you cannot hear or speak on the phone): 18001 then 0800 169 0140
British Sign Language (BSL): Visit the Video Relay Service
For more information about the UK Government search UK Government in this directory.
Visit the Sure Start Maternity Grant page on the GOV.UK website
