The Scottish Child Payment is a payment for families with children under 16 years of age living in Scotland.

There is no equivalent benefit for England, Wales or Northern Ireland. 

To be get Scottish Child Payment, you have to:

• Be living in Scotland, and
• Be responsible for one or more children under the age of 16, and
• Be in receipt of: 
  • Universal Credit, or
  • Pension Credit, or
  • Child Tax Credit, or
  • Working Tax Credit, or
  • income-related Employment and Support Allowance, or
  • income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, or
  • Income Support 

Only one person can get Scottish Child Payment for a child. If it isn't clear who has main responsibility for the child, the Scottish Child Payment will go to the person who gets Child Tax Credit, Child Benefit, the child element of Universal Credit or the child premium of Pension Credit for the child.

If you are a kinship carer for a child under 16, you might be able to get Scottish Child Payment. You will need to provide evidence that you are a kinship carer.

You will get £25 per week per child under 16 who you are responsible for. 

There is no limit to how many children you can get Scottish Child Payment for.

Scottish Child Payment will not have any effect on your other benefits.

Updated: April 2023

You can apply for the Scottish Child Payment online.

You can also apply by phone on 0800 182 2222. Calls to this number are free.

If you disagree with a decision on your claim, you can first ask Social Security Scotland to look at the decision again. This is called a 'redetermination'. 

You should be given information with your decision letter on how to ask for a redetermination. If you don't receive this information, you should speak to an adviser.  There is likely to be a deadline within which you need to ask for a redetermination. If you miss that deadline, you can still ask for a redetermination. However, you need to explain why your request is late.

If you still disagree with the decision after the redetermination, you can appeal to the First Tier Tribunal. You should receive an appeal form and instructions on how to appeal with the redetermination decision. If you don't, or if you aren't sure how to complete the form, speak to an adviser.