Sure Start Maternity Grant send form without MATB1 to meet deadline

Can I send the SF100 without a MATB1?

Yes — GOV.UK’s how-to-claim page is explicit: “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.”

Turn2us (reviewed 8 June 2026) repeats the same point: if you are close to the deadline, you can send the form without evidence from a healthcare professional, then send the evidence later. Consumer sites that treat a missing MATB1 as a hard stop are not following that official line.

A missing MATB1 is a delay risk, not a reason to hold the SF100 past 6 months. The deadline is about when DWP receives the claim form.

What is the 6-month deadline, and does it move?

Do not read “send without evidence” as “the 6 months can run on until the midwife is free”. The form still has to arrive in time. Evidence can follow; the clock cannot.

How do I post the form in time?

1. 1
   Download SF100 now England and Wales: GOV.UK claim form (updated 26 March 2026). GOV.UK says you cannot complete it on a phone or tablet — use a desktop or laptop PDF reader, or print and write. Helpline 0800 169 0140 can send a paper form (Monday to Friday, 10am to 3pm).
2. 2
   Fill every claimant section you can Include your National Insurance number, the due date or date of birth if you have it, and the qualifying benefit. Leave the health-professional box empty if you do not have a MATB1 or statement yet. Do not wait for a perfect pack.
3. 3
   Post to Freepost DWP SSMG No postcode and no stamp. GOV.UK’s 6-month test is about when the form arrives, so post with enough time for Freepost. Keep a copy or a photo of every page you send.
4. 4
   Send the MATB1 or statement when you have it A doctor or midwife can complete a MATB1 or write a statement confirming the pregnancy or childbirth. When DWP contacts you, send what they ask for. GOV.UK says a decision letter is sent within 28 days of DWP receiving the form and evidence — a form sent first may wait until that evidence arrives.

What happens after DWP receives a form with no evidence?

GOV.UK says you will be contacted about arranging the evidence later. It does not publish a second deadline for that chase letter. Answer it. If you never send the MATB1 or statement, there is no completed evidence pack for DWP to decide against.

GOV.UK also says that if you have recently made a new Universal Credit claim, the SSMG letter could take longer than 28 days. That is a processing delay, not extra time to start the claim.

Does the qualifying benefit need to be in payment already?

GOV.UK eligibility says you or your partner must get one of the listed benefits (income-related ESA, Pension Credit, Universal Credit, or you may also qualify on a Support for Mortgage Interest loan). That is a “must get” test on the live page, not a MayTally extra rule.

nidirect, for Northern Ireland, says if you are waiting for a decision on a qualifying benefit you must still claim within the time limits, and that an SSMG decision waits until a Universal Credit application has been processed. So a pending UC claim is a reason to post SF100 anyway, not a reason to sit on the form until 6 months have gone.

What if I live in Northern Ireland or Scotland?

Northern Ireland uses a different form and posts to DfC Sure Start Maternity Grants, Mail Handling Site A, Wolverhampton, WV98 2JX. nidirect still wants proof of the expected date of confinement or the date of birth (MATB1, another health-professional statement, or a stillbirth certificate). Use the NI notes for that pack. The “send without evidence to beat 6 months” sentence on GOV.UK is written for the England and Wales how-to-claim page — if you are in NI, ask the Social Fund Budgeting loans service (0800 587 2750) before you assume the same wording applies.

Scotland cannot get a Sure Start Maternity Grant. Apply for Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment instead. That is a Social Security Scotland form, not SF100, and it has its own windows.

In shortIf the 6-month date is close and the MATB1 is not in your hand, post SF100 to Freepost DWP SSMG anyway. GOV.UK allows that. The cut-off does not move because evidence is late. A listed qualifying benefit is still part of the test.