New mothers across the UK could be eligible for a grant of up to £1,000 to assist with the costs of raising their first child or multiple children. The Sure Start Maternity Grant is a government initiative that offers a one-off payment to those expecting their first child or multiples, providing financial support without affecting any other benefits or tax credits you may be receiving.
Even if you already have children under a certain age, you could still qualify for the grant, although the eligibility criteria are more stringent. The amount you receive depends on how many children you’re expecting.
All those eligible for a Maternity Grant
In order to receive the Sure Start Maternity Grant, you must have no other children under the age of 16. Furthermore, you must be claiming one of the following at the time of applying for the grant:
- Working Tax Credit that includes a disability or severe disability element
- income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Child Tax Credit
- Pension Credit
- Universal Credit
- Income Support
- income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
In some cases, you could still receive the grant if you already have children under the age of 16, however, you must meet one of the following:
- 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’re claiming for a family member who’s under 16, or 16 to 19 and in certain types of education or training
- you’re expecting a multiple birth (such as twins)
- you have refugee status, humanitarian protection or you’ve come to the UK from Afghanistan or Ukraine
Full details of how this may affect your claim can be found here.
How much you could get
A new mother can expect a flat rate of £500, but this could rise to £1,000 in some cases. If you have one or more children under 16 and none are from multiple births, you could receive £500 for twins and £1,000 for triplets.
Moreover, if you’ve previously had twins who are still under 16 and are now expecting triplets, you could receive £500.
However, if you’ve already had twins or triplets under the age of 16 and are expecting twins again, you won’t be eligible for the grant. The same rule applies if you’ve previously had triplets who are still under 16 and are expecting triplets once more.
All payments from the grant will be directly deposited into the account where you receive any benefits, pensions, or other allowances. To apply for the Sure Start Maternity Grant, you can submit a claim from 11 weeks before your baby is due up to six months after the birth.
Applications can be made via post by completing an SF100 form available online. Along with the application, evidence of your pregnancy or childbirth must be included.
The completed form can then be sent to Freepost DWP SSMG – no postcode or stamp is required for this submission.
