New mothers in England and Wales could claim up to £500 from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
The Sure Start Maternity Grant is a scheme offering a one-off payment to those expecting their first child or having twins or more, to help with financial costs. The grant doesn’t need to be repaid and won’t affect any other benefits or tax credits you claim.
The grant might also be available to those who already have children under a certain age, although the eligibility criteria are stricter than for first-time parents.
Who can apply for a Maternity Grant?
To be eligible for the Sure Start Maternity Grant, you must not have any other children under the age of 16. Also, you must be claiming one of the following at the time you apply 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 instances, you may still be eligible for the grant even if you have children under the age of 16, but you must meet one of the following criteria:.
- 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 from a Maternity Grant
The standard rate for a new mother is £500, but in some cases, you could receive up to £1,000.
If you have one or more children under the age of 16 and none are the result of multiple births, you could receive £500 if you are having twins and £1,000 if you’re having triplets.
Moreover, if you’ve already had twins who are still under the age of 16 and are expecting triplets, you could receive £500.
However, if you’ve already had twins and triplets under the age of 16 and are expecting twins you won’t receive anything from the grant.
This also applies if you’ve already had triplets who are still under the age of 16 and are once again expecting triplets.
All payments from the grant will be issued directly into the account you receive any benefits, pensions, or other allowances.
How to apply
You can make a claim for the Sure Start Maternity Grant from 11 weeks before the week your baby is due to be born up until six months after the baby is born. Claims can be made through the post by filling in a SF100 form here.
You must also include evidence of your pregnancy or childbirth with this application form. It can then be sent off to Freepost DWP SSMG – you do not need a postcode or a stamp for sending this form off.
