Sure Start Maternity Grant
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1. Overview
You could get a one-off payment of £500 to help towards the costs of having a child. This is known as a Sure Start Maternity Grant.
If you live in Scotland you cannot get a Sure Start Maternity Grant. You can apply for a Pregnancy and Baby Payment instead.
You usually qualify for the grant if both of the following apply:
- you’re expecting your first child, or you’re expecting a multiple birth (such as twins) and have children already
- you or your partner already get certain benefits
You must claim the grant within 11 weeks of the baby’s due date or within 6 months after the baby’s birth.
You do not have to pay the grant back and it will not affect your other benefits or tax credits.
This guide is also available in Welsh (Cymraeg) and Easy Read format.
2. What you'll get
A Sure Start Maternity Grant is £500 and you do not have to pay it back.
You may not get a grant if you already have children.
If you already have children under 16
You might be able to get the grant if you’re having twins or triplets. How much you’ll get depends on the children you already have.
| Children under 16 | Grant if you have twins | Grant if you have triplets |
|---|---|---|
| You have 1 or more (and none of them are from multiple births) | £500 | £1,000 |
| You’ve already had twins | £0 | £500 |
| You’ve already had triplets | £0 | £0 |
You’ll also need to meet the other eligibility requirements.
How you’re paid
All benefits, pensions and allowances are paid into your bank, building society or credit union account.
3. Eligibility
Usually, to get a Sure Start Maternity Grant you must have no other children under 16. You or your partner must also get one of these benefits:
- Income Support
- income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit
- Working Tax Credit that includes a disability or severe disability element
- Universal Credit
You may also qualify if you’re getting a Support for Mortgage Interest loan.
If you live in Scotland you cannot get a Sure Start Maternity Grant. You can apply for a Pregnancy and Baby Payment instead.
If you already have children under 16
You may be able to get a grant if you or your partner get one of the benefits above and any of the following apply:
- you’re expecting a multiple birth (such as twins)
- the child you’re caring for is someone else’s (but not your partner’s) and the child was over 12 months old when the arrangement started
- you have refugee status, humanitarian protection or you’ve come to the UK from Afghanistan or Ukraine
- you’re claiming for a family member who’s under 16, or 16 to 19 and in certain types of education or training
You must claim by the deadline.
If you have refugee status or humanitarian protection or you’ve left Ukraine or Afghanistan
You can get a grant for your first child born in the UK if one of the following is true:
- you have refugee status or humanitarian protection
- you left Afghanistan because of the collapse of the Afghan government which happened on 15 August 2021
- you were resident in Ukraine immediately before 1 January 2022 and you left because of the Russian invasion which happened on 24 February 2022
If you’re claiming for a family member who lives with you
You can get a grant if you’re claiming for a family member who is having their first child and lives with you. That family member must be either:
- under 16 years old
- 16 to 19 years old and in ‘approved’ education or training
Approved education must be full-time (more than an average of 12 hours a week supervised study or course-related work experience) and can include:
- A levels or similar, for example Pre-U or International Baccalaureate
- T levels
- NVQs and other vocational qualifications up to level 3
- home education - if it started before they turned 16 or after 16 if they have special needs
- traineeships in England
Courses are not approved if paid for by an employer or ‘advanced’, for example a university degree or BTEC Higher National Certificate.
Approved training should be unpaid and can include:
- Foundation Apprenticeships or Traineeships in Wales
- PEACE IV Children and Young People 2.1, Training for Success, or Skills for Life and Work in Northern Ireland
Courses that are part of a job contract are not approved.
If you’re not giving birth
You may also be able to get a grant if you’re adopting or becoming a surrogate parent.
The baby must be less than 1 year old on the date you claim. You must be receiving one of the benefits above and one of the following must also apply:
- you’ve become responsible for the baby and you’re not the mother
- the baby has been placed with you for adoption
- you’ve got permission to adopt a baby from abroad
- you’ve got a parental order for a surrogate birth
- you’ve been appointed as guardian
- you’ve an adoption or a residence order
4. How to claim
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
Print out and fill in the Sure Start Maternity Grant (SF100) claim form.
You also need to provide evidence of the pregnancy or childbirth from a health professional (such as a doctor or midwife). They can either:
- fill in a form MAT B1 (they should have a copy of the form already)
- write a statement confirming the pregnancy or childbirth
Post your SF100 form with the evidence of the pregnancy or childbirth to ‘Freepost DWP SSMG’. You do not need a postcode or a stamp.
You can send your form without the evidence of the pregnancy or childbirth if necessary to meet the deadline. If you do this, you’ll be contacted about arranging this evidence at a later date.
You will get a letter about whether your claim is successful within 28 days of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) receiving your form and evidence. If you’ve recently made a new Universal Credit claim, it could take longer.
Get help with your claim
Call the Sure Start Maternity Grant helpline.
Sure Start Maternity Grant helpline
Telephone: 0800 169 0140
Textphone: 0800 169 0286
Relay UK (if you cannot hear or speak on the phone): 18001 then 0800 169 0140
British Sign Language (BSL) video relay service if you’re on a computer - find out how to use the service on mobile or tablet
Welsh language: 0800 169 0240
Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm
Find out about call charges
You can also contact Jobcentre Plus.
Alternative formats
Call the Sure Start Maternity Grant helpline to ask for alternative formats, such as braille, large print or audio CD.
If you disagree with a decision
You can challenge a decision about your claim. This is called asking for mandatory reconsideration.