Sure Start Maternity Grant: Who Gets £500 and How to Claim

The Sure Start Maternity Grant is a one-off £500 payment that you do not pay back. You usually get it if you or your partner get Universal Credit, Pension Credit or income-related Employment and Support Allowance and you are expecting your first child, or twins or more. Claim on form SF100 from 11 weeks before the week your baby is due until six months after the birth. In Scotland, the Pregnancy and Baby Payment replaces it.

Baby things add up fast, and if you are on Universal Credit the £500 Sure Start Maternity Grant is one of the few lump sums you can get before the birth. It is easy to miss because nobody pays it automatically: you have to post a form, and the window closes six months after your baby arrives. Here is who qualifies, what counts as a first child, and exactly when and how to claim.

What you get

The grant is a single payment of £500 into your bank, building society or credit union account. You never pay it back, and it does not count as income for your other benefits, so your Universal Credit will not drop because of it.

Most families get one £500 grant for a first baby. Twins and triplets change the maths, because the rules look at whether there is already a child under 16 in the family and whether the new babies are a multiple birth.

Scroll sideways to see all columns →

For a single baby, the grant is £500 if there is no other child under 16 in your family, and usually nothing if there is. The exceptions to that rule are below, and they catch out a lot of people who assume they cannot apply.

Who qualifies

You usually qualify if both of these are true:

• You are expecting your first child, or you are expecting a multiple birth and already have children.
• You or your partner get Universal Credit, Pension Credit or income-related Employment and Support Allowance. A Support for Mortgage Interest loan can also count.

It is the benefit that matters, not how much you earn. If your partner is working but you get Universal Credit as a couple, you can still claim. Benefits such as Child Benefit, Statutory Maternity Pay, Maternity Allowance and new-style ESA do not qualify you on their own.

If you already have a child under 16

You may still get the grant, as long as you or your partner get one of the qualifying benefits and one of these applies:

• You are expecting twins, triplets or more.
• The child already living with you is someone else’s child (not your partner’s), and they were over 12 months old when they came to live with you, for example a stepchild through a new relationship who joined your family as a toddler, or a child you look after under a kinship arrangement.
• You have refugee status or humanitarian protection, or you came to the UK from Afghanistan or Ukraine because of the events there. In that case you can claim for your first child born in the UK, even if you have older children.
• You are claiming for a family member who lives with you and is having their first child, and they are under 16, or 16 to 19 and in approved full-time education or training.

That last point matters for grandparents and carers. If a teenager in your household is pregnant and you get a qualifying benefit, you can claim the grant for their baby, as long as they are in approved full-time education or training if they are 16 to 19.

Adopting, surrogacy and guardianship

You can claim if you are becoming responsible for a baby under 12 months old, you get a qualifying benefit and one of these applies: the baby has been placed with you for adoption, you have permission to adopt from abroad, you have a parental order after a surrogate birth, you have been appointed as guardian, you have an adoption or residence order, or you have otherwise become responsible for the baby and you are not the mother. Claim within six months of the baby coming to live with you.

When to claim

The window opens 11 weeks before the week your baby is due, which is roughly when you are 29 weeks pregnant. It closes six months after the birth. If the baby comes early, the six months still run from the actual birthday.

Claiming during pregnancy is usually best: the money arrives when you are buying the pram and cot, not months later. But if you only find out about the grant after the birth, you still have up to six months, and a late claim is refused outright, not paid in part, so check the date now.

How to claim, step by step

1. Download and print form SF100 from GOV.UK. If you cannot print it, call the helpline and ask for a paper copy.
2. Fill it in. You need your National Insurance number, the benefit you or your partner get, and your due date or the baby’s date of birth.
3. Get proof of the pregnancy or birth from a midwife, health visitor or doctor. Your MATB1 certificate works (it can be issued from 20 weeks before the week your baby is due), or they can write a short statement confirming the pregnancy or birth.
4. Post the form and the evidence to Freepost DWP SSMG. You do not need a stamp or a postcode. Use the same address in Wales; Northern Ireland has its own form and address.
5. If the deadline is close and you do not have the evidence yet, send the form anyway. The DWP will contact you to arrange the evidence later.

You should get a letter within 28 days of the DWP receiving your form and evidence. Keep a photo of the completed form and a note of the date you posted it, in case you need to chase.

Scroll sideways to see all columns →

Scotland and Northern Ireland

In Scotland you cannot get a Sure Start Maternity Grant. Social Security Scotland pays a Pregnancy and Baby Payment instead: £796.65 for a first child and £398.35 for each later child, with an extra £398.35 for twins. You can apply from the end of the 24th week of pregnancy until the day your baby is six months old, and unlike the Sure Start grant it is not limited to first babies. The qualifying benefits and age rules are different, so check the mygov.scot page.

In Northern Ireland the grant is the same £500 with the same rules, but it is run by the Department for Communities, so use the nidirect claim route rather than the Freepost DWP address.

If your claim is refused

Read the decision letter carefully: the most common reasons are an older child under 16 in the household, a qualifying benefit that had not been awarded yet, or a claim outside the window. If you think the decision is wrong, ask for a mandatory reconsideration within one month of the date on the letter. Explain which rule you meet, for example that the older child is not yours and joined your family after their first birthday.

Other money worth checking

• Maternity pay. If you are employed, Statutory Maternity Pay pays 90% of your earnings for six weeks and then a flat weekly rate. If you are self-employed or cannot get it, check Maternity Allowance. You can get the grant as well as either.
• Child Benefit. Claim Child Benefit once you have registered the birth: £27.05 a week for a first child in 2026/27, backdated up to three months.
• Healthy Start. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, Healthy Start puts money on a card every four weeks for milk, fruit, vegetables, pulses and first infant formula if you are more than 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under 4 and get certain benefits. It also gives free vitamins. Scotland has Best Start Foods instead.
• Universal Credit. Tell Universal Credit about the baby as soon as they are born, so the child element is added from the right date.
• Childcare. When you go back to work, Tax-Free Childcare and 30 hours of funded childcare can cut nursery bills, and Universal Credit can pay up to 85% of childcare costs.

Making a list of what you actually need? Our newborn passport guide covers the first big bit of admin if you are travelling abroad in the first year.

Quick questions about the Sure Start Maternity Grant

How much is the Sure Start Maternity Grant in 2026?

It is £500, paid once. For twins in a first pregnancy you can get £1,000, and £1,500 for triplets.

Can I get the Sure Start Maternity Grant for my second baby?

Usually not for a single baby, unless an exception applies, for example the older child is someone else’s child who joined your family after their first birthday, or you are expecting twins or more.

Do I have to pay the grant back?

No. It is a grant, not a loan, and it does not affect your other benefits.

Can I claim online?

In England and Wales the claim is made on the SF100 paper form, sent by Freepost. If you cannot print it, the helpline can post you one.

What if I missed the six-month deadline?

A claim more than six months after the birth is refused. Claim as soon as you know about the grant, and send the form even if your evidence is not ready yet.