Best Start Foods is a payment that can help you buy healthy foods like milk or fruit during pregnancy and when your child is under 3. Best Start Foods is paid every 4 weeks. The payments are: £21.60 during pregnancy (you’ll get the same amount whether you’re having one or more babies), £43.20 for each child from birth until they’re one year old, £21.60 for each child aged between one and 3 years old. If your baby’s born early, you’ll get the higher amount from birth until 1 year after the due date. You’ll get the payments on a prepaid card you can use in shops and online. You may be able to get Best Start Foods for your child even if you cannot get certain benefits because of your immigration status or because you do not have a status.
Who qualifies
During pregnancy and when your child is under 3
More information
You may be able to get Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods if you or your partner meet all these conditions: Live in Scotland, are pregnant or have a child who’s the right age for a payment, are the main person looking after the child, get certain benefits or payments.To get Best Start Grant and Foods, normally you or your partner need to get one of these: Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, Income Support, Pension Credit, income-based Jobseekers Allowance (JSA), income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). If you’re under 20 years old and do not get one of these payments, you may still be able to get Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods. If you're not getting any of these benefits or payments, but have applied for one, you can still apply for Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods. Child Benefit on its own is not an accepted benefit for Best Start Grant or Best Start Foods. You must get one of the benefits from this list. You may be able to get Best Start Grant or Best Start Foods if you get a benefit from a European Economic Area (EEA) country or Switzerland. Contact Social Security Scotland for more information.
