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Who can get Scottish child payment

To get Scottish child payment, you must:

If you disagree with a decision about Scottish child payment made by Social Security Scotland you can challenge this decision.

Getting a qualifying benefit

The qualifying benefits are:

  • universal credit
  • income support
  • pension credit
  • income-based jobseeker's allowance
  • income-related employment and support allowance

Any amount of qualifying benefit payable will be sufficient to qualify, regardless of other income or earnings, and if benefit has been reduced due to sanctions or deductions.

Responsible for a child

You are responsible for a child if:

  • you or your partner get child benefit for the child, or
  • the child is included in you or your partner’s universal credit or pension credit award, or
  • you or your partner are a kinship carer for the child. This means you have a kinship care order or the child is looked after by the local authority and placed with you

Only one person can get Scottish child payment for a particular child. If there is more than one claim for the same child, there are rules for who will get the Scottish child payment. Social Security Scotland will decide who get the payment in the following order of priority:

  • the person responsible for the child for the purposes of universal credit or pension credit
  • where no-one is responsible for the child for the purposes of universal credit or pension credit, the person who gets child benefit for the child, except where the other person is a kinship carer, in which case their claim will have priority

How much is Scottish child payment

Scottish child payment is £27.15 a week per eligible child, payable every four weeks. There is no limit on how many children within a family can get Scottish child payment, so it will still be paid for a child affected by the two child limit in universal credit or child tax credit.

Claiming Scottish child payment

To make a claim:

  • phone Social Security Scotland on 0800 182 2222
  • claim online at mygov.scot
  • download a paper application form from mygov.scot

How you are paid

Payments are made every four weeks in arrears, direct into your account.

More information on Scottish child payment

Try our Scottish child payment eLearning course.

For in-depth information about Scottish child payment, see chapter 62 of the Welfare benefits handbook. You'll need a subscription to be able to log in and read the content. 

Social Security Scotland have published guidance about Scottish child payment on their website.

Read the Scottish child payment regulations on legislation.gov.uk.