Guides · Childcare money · Grants by nation
What's the difference between Sure Start Maternity Grant and Best Start Grant in Scotland?
Who pays each grant, and which nation am I in?
GOV.UK says if you live in Scotland you cannot get a Sure Start Maternity Grant and should apply for a Pregnancy and Baby Payment instead. mygov.scot says the reverse: if you live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland you cannot get Best Start Grant or Best Start Foods, and should use Sure Start Maternity Grant and Healthy Start.
Swipe sideways for the full table
| Sure Start Maternity Grant | Best Start Grant — Pregnancy and Baby Payment | |
|---|---|---|
| Paid by | DWP (England and Wales); Department for Communities in Northern Ireland | Social Security Scotland |
| Where you live | England, Wales or Northern Ireland | Scotland |
| Usual first-child rule | No other child under 16, plus a listed benefit | £796.65 if this is your oldest child under 16 (including a stepchild or a child you have taken over looking after) |
| Later child | Usually no grant, unless an official exception (twins, kinship over 12 months, some refugee routes, claiming for a family member) | £398.35 for a child after your first, plus listed extra-support cases that restore the higher amount |
| Published one-off amount | £500 | £796.65 first child; £398.35 later child; extra £398.35 for a multiple birth (see table below) |
| When to apply | From 11 weeks before the due week, until 6 months after the birth | From the end of the 24th week of pregnancy until the baby is 6 months old (or up to the day before the first birthday if you have taken over looking after a child) |
| Spend on | GOV.UK: help towards the costs of having a child; no shopping list | mygov.scot examples include pregnancy clothes, a pram, a cot, baby clothes and toys |
| Same baby twice? | One Social Fund grant per claim rules | Cannot be paid if a Sure Start Maternity Grant was already paid for that child |
If I already have a child, which scheme still pays?
On Sure Start Maternity Grant, the headline is first child only. GOV.UK then lists exceptions (multiple birth, someone else’s child over 12 months when care started, some refugee and Afghanistan or Ukraine arrivals, claiming for a family member). There is no later-child £250-style rate — only the twins-and-triplets table.
On Pregnancy and Baby Payment, a later child is still in scope at £398.35. mygov.scot also lists cases where the £796.65 amount can apply even when the baby is not your first, including: you or your partner became responsible for the other child or children when they were over 12 months old and did not give birth to them; you left home with the other children because of domestic abuse; you are a refugee or have humanitarian protection and the other children were born before you arrived in the UK; certain resettlement and evacuation routes. Not every circumstance is printed on the form — mygov.scot and Social Security Scotland say to choose Not sure or apply by phone on 0800 182 2222.
How do the twin and triplet amounts compare?
Copy the official grids. Do not add a third scheme’s numbers.
Swipe sideways for the full table
| Situation | Sure Start Maternity Grant (GOV.UK) | Pregnancy and Baby Payment (mygov.scot) |
|---|---|---|
| Twins, no other child under 16 | £500 (first-child rule; page does not print a twin-specific first-child total) | £796.65 + £398.35 + £398.35 extra = £1,593.35 |
| Twins, other children under 16 (no previous multiple birth on the SSMG table) | £500 | £398.35 + £398.35 + £398.35 extra = £1,195.05 |
| Triplets, no other child under 16 | £1,000 on the GOV.UK table if you already have children and none are from multiple births; first-child-only households are pointed to the £500 grant unless that table applies | £1,991.70 (mygov.scot: extra £398.35 on top of the twin total) |
| Triplets, other children under 16 | £1,000 if you have not had a multiple birth before; £500 if you have already had twins; £0 if you have already had triplets | £1,593.40 |
Which? still publishes parent-benefit roundups. Treat those as journalism, not the rate card. Social Security Scotland’s March 2026 news post listed £767.50 / £383.75 before April 2026 and £796.65 / £398.35 from April 2026 — matching the live mygov.scot page.
Can I get both for the same baby if I move nation?
mygov.scot’s wording is plain: you cannot get the Pregnancy and Baby Payment if you’ve already got the Sure Start Maternity Grant for the same baby. A GOV.UK refusal in Scotland is usually because you are in the wrong scheme, not because a later-child rule has been misapplied. Apply on the Social Security Scotland form instead.
Best Start Grant is three one-off payments (Pregnancy and Baby, Early Learning £331.95, School Age £331.95) plus Best Start Foods every four weeks. Sure Start Maternity Grant is only the one Social Fund payment. Foods in Scotland are not NHS Healthy Start — different card, different weekly rates, and mygov.scot says the Foods card can be used in shops and online.
How do I apply for the right one?
- Confirm where you live now Scotland → Best Start Grant / Best Start Foods on mygov.scot. England, Wales or Northern Ireland → Sure Start Maternity Grant on GOV.UK (nidirect has the Northern Ireland form address).
- Check you are not claiming twice for the same baby If SSMG has already been paid for this child, mygov.scot says Pregnancy and Baby Payment is not payable for that child. Early Learning Payment, School Age Payment and Best Start Foods are separate products with their own rules.
- Use the live rate page, not a 2024 blog Read GOV.UK for £500 SSMG and mygov.scot for £796.65 / £398.35. Parent Club restates that you can spend Pregnancy and Baby Payment on a pram or cot.
- Claim inside the window SSMG: 11 weeks before the due week, or 6 months after birth. Pregnancy and Baby Payment: from the end of 24 weeks until the baby is 6 months old (longer if you have taken over looking after a child, up to the day before their first birthday).
In shortPick the scheme for the nation you live in. SSMG is £500 with a strict first-child default. Scotland’s Pregnancy and Baby Payment is larger, pays a later-child amount, and cannot be stacked on top of SSMG for the same baby.
Questions parents ask
- I had a GOV.UK refusal because I live in Scotland. What do I do?
- Do not resubmit SF100. Apply for Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods with Social Security Scotland. GOV.UK and mygov.scot both say Scotland is not Sure Start Maternity Grant.
- We moved to Scotland after SSMG was paid in England. Can we apply for Pregnancy and Baby Payment?
- mygov.scot says no for the same baby if Sure Start Maternity Grant was already paid. Other Best Start Grant payments and Best Start Foods have their own age windows.
- Is Best Start just “Scotland’s Sure Start”?
- No. It is a different agency, a different first-versus-later-child rule, different amounts, and it sits with Best Start Foods and (on a combined form) Scottish Child Payment. Pregnancy and Baby Payment also starts at 24 weeks, not 11 weeks before the due week.
- Can I spend Pregnancy and Baby Payment on a pram?
- mygov.scot and Parent Club both list a pram and a cot as examples of what the payment can be used for. SSMG’s GOV.UK page does not publish a kit list.
Sources
Official pages first. If this page and the official page disagree, the official page wins.
- GOV.UK — Sure Start Maternity Grant — checked 10 September 2026
- GOV.UK — Sure Start Maternity Grant: eligibility — checked 10 September 2026
- GOV.UK — Sure Start Maternity Grant: what you'll get — checked 10 September 2026
- mygov.scot — Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods — checked 10 September 2026
- Social Security Scotland — changes to Pregnancy and Baby Payment (March 2026) — checked 10 September 2026
- Parent Club — Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods — checked 10 September 2026
This is information, not a guarantee of any payment, and not medical, legal or product-safety advice for your home. Prices and rules change; figures carry the date they were checked. Recall status comes from official records only — a product we cannot find is not a safety all-clear. Tell us if we got a fact wrong.