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Being responsible for a child means you may be entitled to increases in some benefits or become entitled to them for the first time. If your child has a disability or long-term health problem, you may get extra help. This will depend on your child’s needs and in some cases on your family’s income.
To be ‘responsible’ for a child for benefit purposes, usually the child must live with you, but you do not have to be the child’s parent. Where we refer to a ‘parent’ we include others who may be responsible for a child. Some benefits are means-tested which means that your income and savings are taken into account when calculating your entitlement.
Some benefits pay additional amounts for each child you are responsible for. Since 6 April 2017 those additional amounts (normally of universal credit) can be limited to two children. This is known as the ‘two-child limit.’ It only applies to children born on or after 6 April 2017. If you are responsible for, or become responsible for, three or more children who were born before that you will still be entitled to an additional amount for each child but may not get an amount for any additional child born after that date.
There are some exceptions for a third or subsequent child born on or after 6 April 2017 so you should seek advice if you are affected.
Some benefits, such as child benefit and the Scottish child payment, are unaffected.
A ‘benefit cap’ may be applied to limit the amount of housing benefit or universal credit for some out of work families. If you are subject to the benefit cap and have a disabled child, you should claim child disability payment. An award of child disability payment gives exemption from the cap. If your child is 16 or over they can apply for adult disability payment. This can also exempt you from the benefit cap if you are responsible for the child. If you or your partner get carer support payment or some other benefits due to disability or ill health, you are also exempt from the cap. The Scottish government have provided funds to local authorities to mitigate the effect of the benefit cap. If you are affected you should claim a discretionary housing payment from your local authority.
The following information starts from the child’s birth and describes what help is available at different stages as the child gets older. Help from a younger age continues to apply to older children unless otherwise stated.
Note: Some pregnant women can get a Best Start foods payment card and claim a Best Start pregnancy and baby payment before giving birth. For details see financial help in the early years.
An amount is paid for each child you are responsible for if they live with you, or you contribute financially towards their upkeep. If you or your partner earn over £60,000 a year you can still get child benefit, but part or all of it is recovered from you through the tax system.
HM Revenue and Customs administers child benefit. You can claim online or get a claim form at gov.uk, or call the Child benefit helpline on 0300 200 3100.
An additional amount is paid to whoever receives child benefit if the child’s parents are both dead; or the surviving parent is missing, in prison or detained in hospital.
HM Revenue and Customs administers this. You can get a claim form at gov.uk, or call the Guardian’s allowance helpline on 0300 200 3100.
An amount is paid for each child under 16 you are responsible for if you are getting a qualifying benefit: universal credit, income-related employment and support allowance or pension credit. The two-child limit does not affect entitlement to Scottish child payment.
Read more about Scottish child payment and other Scottish benefits for children and young people.
Note you can apply for Scottish child payment when applying for Best Start Grants and Best Start Foods.
This grant is paid if you are having a baby or become responsible for a baby under the age of one. You qualify if you or your partner are under 18 years old or are getting a ‘qualifying benefit’: universal credit, income-related employment and support allowance or pension credit.
You can also get a payment card for foods including milk, fruit and vegetables, pulses and eggs from pregnancy until a child is 3 years old. Normally, you must be under 18 or getting one of qualifying benefits above.
Note: you may be able to get best start foods for a child if you cannot get a qualifying benefit because of your immigration status.
Read more about pregnancy and baby payment and best start foods.
This is normally only payable once a child is three months old, but the highest rate care component can be paid from birth if the child is terminally ill. If your child gets this you may be able to get carer support payment. Read more about child disability payment and carer support payment.
Universal credit has now replaced most means-tested working age benefits, including income-related employment and support allowance and housing benefit for most claimants. If you are already getting one of these 'legacy' benefits you will be moved on to universal credit through a ‘managed migration’ process. The process includes transitional protection so that you should not lose out when moving on to universal credit, but if you claim universal credit before being migrated you won’t get this protection and could lose out if your universal credit is less than benefits you had. Seek advice before claiming universal credit if you are getting a 'legacy' benefit.
You can get universal credit if you are in work or not. A child element is paid for each child (subject to the 'two-child limit’). A higher rate is paid for the eldest child if they were born before 6 April 2017. A disabled child addition is included if a child gets child disability payment, even if the child element is not included for that child due to the two-child limit. A higher rate disabled child addition is paid if the child gets the child disability payment highest rate care component or is severely sight impaired.
Universal credit may include help with costs of registered childcare if you are in work.
Most claimants will have ‘work-related requirements’ if their earnings are low, but there are some exceptions including:
You normally claim universal credit online at gov.uk. You can contact the universal credit helpline on 0800 328 5644 if you cannot claim online or have an issue with your universal credit.
For more information see universal credit - the basics and childcare costs: getting support.
This can be paid if you (and your partner if you have one) are pension age and have a low income. You may get an additional amount if you are responsible for a child.
Extra amounts are also payable for disabled children based on similar rules to universal credit. If you don’t get pension credit but become responsible for a child, you may now be entitled to it. It is administered by the Pensions Service. You can claim online at gov.uk, or by phone on 0800 99 1234.
If you have a claim and are reporting a change you can contact the Pension Service helpline on 0800 731 0469.
Note: if you are part of a couple and only one of you is over pension age you will normally need to claim universal credit instead.
This may be paid if you are liable for rent, if in work or not. If you are in receipt of housing benefit and have a child, you may get more. You receive a child allowance for each child (but see ‘two-child limit’).
You get a disabled child premium if your child is severely sight impaired or gets child disability payment. If your child gets the highest rate care component of child disability payment, an enhanced disability premium is also included.
Universal credit has replaced housing benefit in most cases if you are working age. New claims are no longer possible unless you (and your partner if you have one) are pension age or you live in temporary or ‘specified’ accommodation.
If you are getting housing benefit and you (or your partner if you have one) are working age and not in temporary or specified accommodation you will have to claim universal credit when you get a migration notice.
Your local authority administers HB for your area. Contact your local authority to claim or report a change in circumstances.
You may get a discretionary housing payment if you are entitled to universal credit including housing costs or housing benefit and those benefits are less than your rent. In Scotland you should always get a discretionary housing payment to make up for a shortfall caused by the fact you have a spare bedroom or if you are affected by the benefit cap.
Your local authority administers discretionary housing payments for your area.
You may get a reduction to your council tax bill. If you claim council tax reduction and are responsible for a child, your reduction can be more because an allowance is included for each child. It is not affected by the two-child limit. Council tax reduction is not being replaced by universal credit.
You get a disabled child premium if your child is blind or gets child disability payment. In some situations you may also get an enhanced disability premium included. Read more about calculating council tax reduction.
Your local authority administers council tax reduction for your area. Contact your local authority to claim or report a change in circumstances.
If your child gets child disability payment highest rate care component in the third week of September, you can get this lump sum payment. Young people up to the age of 19 can also qualify for this if they get enhanced rate daily living component of adult disability payment.
It is usually paid automatically from November if you qualify for it. Read more about child winter heating payment.
Grants from the Scottish welfare fund are available if you are in or out of work. You need to be on a low income to qualify and meet other conditions.
Community care grants are for specific needs (including the additional pressures faced by families with a disabled child) and crisis grants can be paid in an emergency or disaster.
Your local authority administers the Scottish Welfare Fund for your area. Contact your local authority to make a claim.
For more details see Scottish welfare fund.
You can get exemption from fixed charges for some services and items, such as glasses and dental treatment if you get income-related employment and support allowance, guarantee credit of pension credit, or universal credit (if your income is low enough). You can also get free dental treatment if pregnant or have given birth in the past 12 months.
You might also get help with travel costs if you are taking a child to hospital and get one of these benefits
For more information, see the NHS Scotland leaflet.
Payments you make into a childcare account are topped up by the Government up to a limit. This is higher for disabled children.
You cannot use this scheme and get universal credit so you could be worse off unless you have quite a high income.
Seek advice before applying. Read more about tax free childcare.
If your child under 3 years old has a condition which means you need bulky equipment or need to be near a car for medical treatment, you may get a blue badge. If the child has walking difficulties, they may continue to qualify on that basis beyond age 3.
For more details and how to apply see mygov.scot.
Your council tax bill may be reduced if any resident (including a child) is:
Your local authority administers council tax discounts for your area. Contact your local authority to make a claim.
Direct payments are money to purchase care services your child needs instead of using social work services. Contact your local authority Social Work team for details.
This charity provides grants to buy specific items to help care for a child under 18 with severe disabilities. Applications are subject to a means-test.
You can find more details on the Family Fund website.
These programmes provide help with the cost of energy saving measures for homeowners or private tenants.
If you are pregnant or have a child under 16 you may qualify if you get income-related employment and support allowance, housing benefit, council tax reduction, guarantee credit of pension credit, carer support payment or universal credit (if on a low income).
You can find more details at mygov.scot.
All pregnant women in Scotland, regardless of income, can get a box of essential baby items. The box is also suitable for babies to sleep in.
Your midwife will help you register if you would like one.
If your child is confirmed as severely sight impaired or blind by a consultant ophthalmologist, you may get a 50 per cent reduction on your TV licence if it is transferred to the child’s name. You can find more details on the TV Licensing website.
Note: you may also qualify for extra amounts in your benefits if your child is blind or severely sight impaired.
If your child needs extra personal care, supervision or watching over because of a disability or health problem, you can claim child disability payment for them. The help or supervision needed must be substantially more than that needed by a child that age without a disability, or similar to those of a younger child in ‘normal’ health but not normally by a child of their age.
The child must have had these extra needs for three months and be expected to need them for at least a further six months. It can be paid at the lower, middle or highest rate depending on how much help is needed.
Note: If you are getting means tested benefits such as universal credit, housing benefit, pension credit or council tax reduction, you should tell the agency that deals with those as soon as you are notified about the child disability payment award. You may now be entitled to increases in those benefits. If you don't already get these benefits you may now be entitled, so seek advice.
Carer support payment is a non-means tested benefit that is paid if you care for a child for 35 hours or more per week who gets middle or highest rate child disability payment care component. Only one carer can claim for any one child. The carer does not have to live with or be ‘responsible’ for the child.
However, people earning over £196 a week after deductions are not entitled.
If you get universal credit, a carer element is included so long as you are eligible for carer support payment even if you don’t actually claim it (but see next section about the carer’s allowance supplement)
A carer premium can be included in the carer’s other benefits such as council tax reduction, income-related employment and support allowance or guarantee credit of pension credit if you get carer's support payment. This can increase entitlement or may mean you qualify for the first time.
Carer support payment counts as income in means-tested benefits but in most cases you should still be better off claiming it due to the carer premium/element and the carer’s allowance supplement.
If you are getting means tested benefits you should tell the agency that deals with those if you get carer support payment.
Read more about carer support payment.
In Scotland, a carer's allowance supplement is currently paid as a lump sum twice a year if you are getting paid carer support payment. Payments are normally automatic in June and December if you get the benefit on a set date in April and October. It is not paid if you only get the carer element in universal credit, or only have an ’underlying’ entitlement to carer support payment.
Read more about carer's allowance supplement.
You may get this grant if you are responsible for a child aged at least two. This will automatically be awarded if you are getting Scottish child payment for the child. You qualify if you or your partner are under 18 years old or are getting a ‘qualifying benefit’: universal credit, housing benefit, income-related employment and support allowance or pension credit.
If you are not getting Scottish child payment you must claim the early learning payment before the child is three and a half years old. You should also consider claiming Scottish child payment.
Read more about the early learning payment.
In some circumstances you can get free early learning and childcare when your child is 2 years old. This is funded by the Scottish government.
Your can find more details on mygov.scot.
You may get this when your child is three or over. It can be paid in addition to the care component. You can apply from three months before the child’s third birthday. The child can qualify if they:
Note: If you are getting means tested benefits such as universal credit, housing benefit, pension credit or council tax reduction, you should tell the agency that deals with those as soon as you are notified about the child disability payment award. You may now be entitled to increases in those benefits. If you don't already get these benefits you may now be entitled, so seek advice.
If you have at least 12 months left before an award of child disability payment higher rate mobility component is due to be reviewed, you can get help towards the cost of buying or hiring a car. You can find more details on the Motability website.
You can also get road tax exemption for a vehicle substantially used for the purposes of the disabled child.
Children aged 3 or over qualify for a blue badge if they:
The badge allows you more parking flexibility if the child is in the car. You can find more details on mygov.scot.
You can get free early learning and childcare for around 30 hours per week during term time if your child is three or four years old. This is funded by the Scottish government.
You can find more details on mygov.scot.
You may get this grant if you are responsible for a child that is old enough to start school. For the year 2025/26 this applies to a child born between 1 March 2020 and 29 February 2021. The grant will automatically be awarded if you are getting Scottish child payment for the child.
If you are not getting Scottish child payment you need to apply for a best start grant during an ‘application window.’ You should also consider claiming Scottish child payment.
The ‘application window’ for the year 2025/26 is from 1 June 2025 until 28 February 2026.
You should still apply during the application window even if you have decided your child should not go to school until the following year.
Read more about the school age payment.
Your local authority may help with transport costs to and from your child’s place of education and can give annual grants towards school clothing if your income is low enough. Local authorities have their own qualifying rules.
Contact your local authority to make a claim.
All children in Primary 1-5 are entitled to free school meals. Your child may also get free school meals whilst at pre-school nursery.
Contact your local authority for details.
This component of child disability payment can be paid when your child is five or over if they can walk but need additional supervision and guidance outdoors and does not get higher rate mobility component. You can apply from three months before their fifth birthday.
Read more about child disability payment.
Note: If you are getting means tested benefits such as universal credit, housing benefit, pension credit or council tax reduction, you should tell the agency that deals with those as soon as you are notified about the child disability payment award. You may now be entitled to increases in those benefits. If you don't already get these benefits you may now be entitled, so seek advice.
If your child gets child disability payment highest or middle rate care component you can also have free bus travel as their companion. You can find more details on the Transport Scotland website.
A child may get a disabled person railcard if they get child disability payment and you may get a third off your fare if travelling with the child. You can find more details on the Disabled Persons Railcard website, or contact Railcard customer services on 0345 605 0525.
Your child can be entitled to free school meals in Primary 6 and 7 if you get Scottish child payment or a means tested benefit such as income-related employment and support allowance, or universal credit (if your income is low enough), or you get asylum support.
Your child can get free school meals in secondary school if you get one of these means tested benefits or you get asylum support.
Contact your local authority to apply.
The following information briefly explains the position for young people aged 16 to 19 with a disability, who still live with a parent. There are sometimes situations where families need to choose whether a young person should claim benefit themselves or their parent should continue to claim for them. You should get specialist advice about which situation leaves the family better off.
Young people aged 16 or over living in Scotland can claim adult disability payment if they have a disability or long term health problem.
Child disability payment can continue to be paid to a young person up to the age of 18 (or 19 in some limited cases) if they are already getting it before reaching 16. They can choose to stay on child disability payment or claim adult disability payment between 16 and 18. The rules for child disability payment are very different from adult disability payment, so seek advice about which is best in your circumstances.
When a young person turns 16, child disability payment will be paid directly to the young person unless their parent or carer becomes their appointee. Social Security Scotland will contact the parent about this before the child’s 16th birthday.
Read more about adult disability payment and child disability payment.
This is a lump sum benefit that can be paid once a year to young people in Scotland aged 16-18 who care for someone who gets a qualifying disability benefit, such as child disability payment middle or highest rate care component, adult disability payment daily living component or attendance allowance or pension age disability payment. You must be caring for that person for at least 10 of the previous 13 weeks and for a total of at least 208 hours.
Read more about young carer grant.
These benefits and additional amounts can continue to be paid to a parent until 1 September following a child’s 16th birthday.
If a young person is in full-time non-advanced education or approved training, these can continue to be paid to the parent until the young person's 20th birthday (or until 1 September after they turn 19 for universal credit and council tax reduction), if they are on a course which started, or they were accepted or enrolled on, before turning 19. Some of these can continue to be paid for a period after the young person leaves the course.
If you get these benefits for a child or young person, payments will stop if they claim universal credit in their own right. The rules are different for each of these benefits. You should get advice about the best option.
For more details, see benefits for young people in further education or training.
If a young person is unable to work due to ill-health or disability, they may be able to claim universal credit from 1 September following their 16th birthday. They will usually need a medical certificate to start a claim and will then be assessed by the DWP. They can still get disability benefits.
To claim universal credit while in full-time education, usually the young person must have a disability benefit and be assessed as having 'limited capability for work' before the course started.
It may be a good idea to get a 'work capability assessment' done even if not claiming universal credit now. You do this by claiming employment and support allowance (even if it is not paid). It could help with a future universal credit claim.
Extra benefit that you get for a young person, including child benefit, will stop if they claim universal credit. Seek advice about which option leaves the family better off.
For more details see benefits for disabled students.
Entitlement depends on the family’s income. It can be paid to 16-19 year olds who stay on in non-advanced education. It can be paid for up to four years for students with additional support needs. It is conditional upon regular course attendance.
You can find more details on mygov.scot.
When your child is 18, they may count as an adult in your council tax bill if still living with you. However, depending on the number of other adults living in the home, you may be able to get discounts on your bill if:
Read more about other ways to reduce your council tax bill.
Note: if no discounts apply to the young person a non-dependent deduction could be applied to any council tax reduction you may get. For details, see council tax reduction if you live with an adult who is not your partner.
A local Citizens Advice Bureau, welfare rights adviser or advice agency can advise about benefits and other financial help available and may help with new claims. You can find an advice agency near you on the Advicelocal website. Many housing associations also have staff who can provide advice so check if there is one in your area who can help.
Contact is a charity for families with disabled children. For help over the telephone you can contact their Helpline on 0808 808 3555 (Monday to Friday, 9:30am - 5pm) or submit an enquiry online on the Contact website.
Carers UK provide an information and support helpline for carers on 0808 808 7777 (Monday to Friday, 9am - 6pm) or by emailing [email protected].
