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Who can get a job start payment

You can get a job start payment if:

  • you are aged 16 or over and under 25, or under 26 if you are a care leaver;
  • you have received a job offer for a job which will average 12 hours or more a week over a four week period;
  • you normally live in Scotland on the day of the job offer. The job does not have to be in Scotland and it does not matter if you are moving out of Scotland to take up the job offer;
  • you have been out of paid work and on a qualifying benefit for at least six months. If you are a care leaver you just have to be out of work and on a qualifying benefit at the time of the job offer; and
  • you claim within three months of receiving the job offer.

Who is a care leaver?

You count as a care leaver if you were formally looked after by the local authority at or beyond you 16th birthday.

What are the qualifying benefits?

To be entitled to the job start payment you have to be out of work and on one of the following benefits at the time of the job offer:

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

Unless you are a care leaver, you have to have been out of work and on one of these benefits for at least six months before the job offer.

How much is a job start payment?

The job start payment is a one-off payment of £314.45 or £503.10 if you have a dependent child or children. It is intended to help with the costs of starting a new job. If you have already received a job start payment you can only get another one if it is more than two years since you last get one.

Claiming a job start payment

To apply you can:

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

If you do not agree with a decision about a job start payment you can ask Social Security Scotland to review its decision. This is an internal review carried out by a different team with Social Security Scotland. You should ask for the review by phoning 0800 182 2222 and should do so within 31 days of the decision.

More information

There are no rules about the job start payment set out in regulations. 

Most of the job start payment rules are only set out in guidance published by Social Security Scotland. Read the job start payment guidance on Social Security Scotland's website.