Who qualifies?
You usually qualify for the £500 grant if both of these are true:
1 — It is (normally) your first baby
There must be no other child under 16 in your household. So it is normally a first-baby grant. But there is a real list of exceptions where you still get the £500 even though you already have children — and this is where people wrongly rule themselves out:
- You are expecting a multiple birth (twins, triplets) — you may get a grant for each new baby.
- You have refugee status or humanitarian protection, or you came to the UK from Afghanistan or Ukraine.
- The child you are caring for is someone else's (not your partner's) and that child was over 12 months old when the arrangement started — the common kinship-care case.
- You are becoming responsible for a child through adoption, a surrogacy arrangement, or certain residence/guardianship orders.
If you already have children, claim anyway
The exceptions above are easy to miss, and the DWP — not you — decides. If any of them might apply to you, put in the claim. The worst outcome is a “no”; the cost of assuming you do not qualify is £500 you were entitled to.
2 — You get a qualifying benefit
You or your partner must get at least one of these:
- Universal Credit
- Pension Credit
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Child Tax Credit
- Working Tax Credit that includes a disability or severe disability element
Not sure if you're on a qualifying benefit? Claim anyway
The grant is free to apply for and the DWP decides. If you are pregnant on a low income and not sure what you qualify for, run a quick check first — you may also be missing Healthy Start food vouchers, Child Benefit, and Universal Credit itself. See the
Healthy Start guide and
benefits checker.
How to claim
Claim it now — free
Have ready: form SF100 with the health professional section signed by a midwife, doctor or health visitor. Claim from 11 weeks before your due date to 6 months after the birth.
- Get form SF100 ("Sure Start Maternity Grant"). Download it from GOV.UK, or ask your midwife or Jobcentre Plus for a paper copy.
- Fill in your details and the baby's due date (or birth date if already born).
- Get a health professional to sign it. A midwife, doctor or health visitor must complete and sign the health professional section to confirm the pregnancy or birth.
- Send it within the deadline — any time from 11 weeks before your due date up to 6 months after the birth.
- Get paid. The £500 is normally paid into the same bank account as your other benefits, usually within a few weeks.
Don't miss the 6-month deadline
If you claim more than 6 months after the birth, you lose the £500 permanently — there is no backdating beyond the window. If your baby has already arrived, claim today. If you are still pregnant, you can claim from 11 weeks before the due date.
Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland — Best Start Grant (more generous)
Scotland does not use the Sure Start Maternity Grant. Instead, Social Security Scotland pays the Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment: £796.65 for your first child and £398.35 for each child after that. Unlike the £500 grant, it is paid for every child, not just the first. You can apply from the end of the 24th week of pregnancy up to 6 months after the birth (up to the day before the child's first birthday if you have taken over looking after them). Apply through mygov.scot — one form also covers Best Start Foods, the Early Learning Payment (£331.95), the School Age Payment (£331.95) and Scottish Child Payment.
Scotland: a later child can still get the HIGHER £796.65 — check this list
Social Security Scotland pays the higher first-child rate for a child who is not your first if any of these apply: you took over looking after your other children when they were over 12 months old and did not give birth to them; you had to leave your home with your other children because of domestic abuse by a partner or ex-partner; you are a refugee or have humanitarian protection and your other children were born before you arrived in the UK; you have leave under a resettlement scheme (such as the Afghanistan or Ukraine schemes) and your other children were born before you arrived; you have discretionary leave outside the immigration rules (for example as a medical evacuee) and your other children were born before you arrived; or you are a British or Irish national, or have leave to remain, and returned to the UK under ‘leave now’ guidance or a UK government evacuation, with your other children born before you returned. Social Security Scotland notes that not all of these circumstances are listed on the form — if yours is not there, choose the “Not sure” option rather than leaving it out. This is the difference between £398.35 and £796.65.
Twins and triplets in Scotland. There is an extra £398.35 on top for a multiple birth. Twins with no other children under 16 come to £1,593.35 (£796.65 + £398.35 + £398.35); twins where you already have children come to £1,195.05. Triplets add a further £398.35 — £1,991.70 with no other children, or £1,593.40 if you have other children.
You cannot get the Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment if you have already had the Sure Start Maternity Grant for the same baby.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland uses the same £500 Sure Start Maternity Grant as England and Wales, but you claim it through nidirect rather than GOV.UK. The rules and deadline are the same.
Other money to check while you're pregnant
The maternity grant is one of several UK schemes new parents miss. While you're claiming, check these too:
- Healthy Start — £4.65–£9.30/week in food + free vitamins on a low income. SortedUK guide.
- Child Benefit — £27.05/week first child, £17.90 each other child. Claim as soon as the baby arrives.
- Maternity Allowance — up to £194.32/week if you don't qualify for Statutory Maternity Pay (self-employed, recently changed jobs).
- Tax-Free Childcare or UC Childcare — up to £2,000/yr per child, or 85% of costs on Universal Credit. UC Childcare guide.
- Council Tax Reduction if your income dropped on maternity leave. Council Tax guide.
- Free NHS prescriptions and dental care during pregnancy and for 12 months after (apply for a MatEx exemption certificate).
Free UK support
- GOV.UK Sure Start Maternity Grant — the official claim page and SF100 form.
- Citizens Advice — 0800 144 8848. Free help with the claim and a full benefits check.
- Turn2us — free grants search + benefits calculator for low-income families.
- Maternity Action — free advice line on maternity rights and pay.
- Your midwife or health visitor — can sign the form and point you to local support.