The Best Start School Age Payment is now open for applications for children born between Sunday 1^st March 2015 – Monday 29^th February 2016 (due to start school in August).

This is a £250 payment made around the time a child normally starts Primary 1 to help with the costs of a child starting school; the child does not need to be taking a place in school for the family to be eligible. The payment can be used for anything that families may need at this key stage in a child’s life.

Social Security Scotland, who manage the Best Start Grant, note that many people’s financial situations have changed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and families may now be eligible for the payment where they previously were not.

The current deadline for applications is Sunday 28^th February 2021.

To apply, or for further information on Best Start Grant payments available, please visit the mygov.scot website.

Alternatively, for resources for stakeholders and partners of Social Security Scotland, visit the Social Security Scotland website.

As part of these resources, Social Security Scotland has also produced a factsheet on the School Age Payment, along with an easy read version and a range of translations, including a British Sign Language (BSL) translation on Vimeo.