Can my mum claim Sure Start Maternity Grant if I am under 16

Can my mum claim if I am under 16?

On the GOV.UK eligibility page this is the “claiming for a family member who lives with you” route, not a first-child claim in the young parent’s own name. Turn2us (reviewed 8 June 2026) puts it in plainer words: if you do not qualify for a listed benefit because you are under 16 or in education, a family member could claim a Sure Start Maternity Grant for you if they get a qualifying benefit.

GOV.UK’s conditions, checked 10 September 2026, are all of these:

• the family member is having their first child
• that family member lives with you (the claimant)
• that family member is under 16, or is 16 to 19 and in approved education or training
• you or your partner get a benefit from the live GOV.UK list

The claimant is the adult already on the qualifying benefit — often the young parent’s mum. A Universal Credit refusal in the young parent’s own name does not, on its own, decide this family-member route.

What if I am 16 to 19 and still in education?

GOV.UK still allows the family-member route if the young parent is 16 to 19 and in approved education or training. Approved education must be full-time — more than an average of 12 hours a week of supervised study or course-related work experience — and can include:

• A levels or similar (GOV.UK examples: 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

GOV.UK says courses are not approved if they are paid for by an employer or are “advanced” — for example a university degree or a BTEC Higher National Certificate. Approved training should be unpaid. GOV.UK examples include Foundation Apprenticeships or Traineeships in Wales, and 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.

This page does not advise on Child Benefit or the High Income Child Benefit Charge. Those are separate HMRC rules.

Who fills in and signs the SF100?

The adult on the qualifying benefit is the claimant. They download SF100 (England and Wales; last updated 26 March 2026), put their own details in the claimant sections, and describe the young parent as the family member the grant is for. The DWP notes booklet says: please sign the form yourself if you can — that means the claimant, not a neighbour, and not a “someone else should sign because I am 15” workaround.

Pregnancy evidence (MATB1 or a health-professional statement) is still needed for a birth claim. If the deadline is tight, GOV.UK allows the form to go without that evidence first — see send the form without a MATB1.

If the notes on the PDF are unclear about which boxes name the young parent, call the Sure Start Maternity Grant helpline on 0800 169 0140 (Monday to Friday, 10am to 3pm) rather than guessing. Do not invent extra pages that are not in the official notes.

Which qualifying benefits does GOV.UK list?

Turn2us’s June 2026 summary only names Universal Credit and Pension Credit. Treat GOV.UK as the live list if the two pages disagree.

How does the family-member route work in practice?

1. 1
   Confirm the young parent lives with the claimant GOV.UK requires the family member to live with you. A young parent who has moved out is outside this wording.
2. 2
   Confirm it is their first child The GOV.UK family-member block is for a family member who is having their first child.
3. 3
   Confirm age or approved education Under 16, or 16 to 19 in approved education or training as listed on GOV.UK. Keep something that shows the course hours if they are 16 to 19.
4. 4
   The adult on the benefit completes SF100 and signs it Post to Freepost DWP SSMG (England and Wales). Claim from 11 weeks before the week the baby is due, and no later than 6 months after the birth.

What if we live in Scotland or Northern Ireland?

Scotland cannot get a Sure Start Maternity Grant. mygov.scot has a young-person route on Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods: if you look after someone under 20 who is pregnant or a young parent and they are named on your Child Benefit, Universal Credit or Pension Credit claim, you can apply for Pregnancy and Baby Payment or Best Start Foods. Parent Club says the same in shorter form. That is a Social Security Scotland form, not SF100.

Northern Ireland’s nidirect page uses slightly different wording: you may be able to get a grant if a dependant of yours who is under 20, and who you receive benefit for, is expecting their first child (or a multiple birth). Use the NI SF100 and the DfC postal address on nidirect, not Freepost DWP SSMG.

In shortIf you are under 16 and live with your mum, and she (or her partner) is on a benefit GOV.UK still lists, she is the claimant and she signs SF100. If you are 16 to 19, add the approved-education test. Do not treat a UC refusal in your own name as the last official word on this route.