How much is School Age Payment?
School Age Payment is a one-time payment of £267.65.
What is School Age Payment in 2022? Am I eligible? How much will I get? When should I apply? School Age Payment is one of three payments included in the Best Start Grant. Then, you could get a payment if your child is old enough to go to school. You could get a one-off payment that you do not need to pay back. Your Benefits will tell you everything you need to know about School Age Payment in 2022.
How much is School Age Payment?
School Age Payment is a one-time payment of £267.65 for a child who’s old enough to start going to school. In fact, the money can help with school costs that arise from your kid going to school.
You may not be able to receive any Universal Credit or Child Tax Credit for any additional children. This is if you have more than 2, as both of these benefits are affected by the ‘2-child limit’. However, if the benefit shows that are responsible for said child, not receiving the benefit won’t negatively impact your claim.
What is School Age Payment?
School Age Payment in 2022 is a benefit for people in Scotland. It is one of the 3 types of payments under Best Start Grant. The two other types of payments are Pregnancy and Baby Payment and Early Learning Payment.
You do not have to ‘prove‘ how you are using the money to Social Security Scotland. In fact, the money is yours to use how you see fit.
You may claim these payments either for a child who could normally start school, or has started school. You need to live in Scotland, receive a qualifying benefit and apply within the appropriate time period.
Apply for School Age Payment
When you need to apply to School Age Payment depends on your child’s date of birth. Typically, you should be able to apply between 1 June (prior to them beginning to go to school) until late February the following year (following them starting school). However, there are certain exceptions for children:
- Who will not go to school until they are 5 years and 7 or 8 months old;
- Born either in the month of January or February.
Disclaimer
If this applies to your child, you will need to apply in a different time period. More specifically, between June 1 (within the year of their 4th birthday) until late February of the year after. Furthermore, you can apply online on the mygov.scot website.
The periods are as follows for 2021-24. Your child may have been born in the period of 1 March 2016 until 28 February 2017. Then, you will need to apply in the period of 1 June 2021 until 28 February 2022. If your child is born in the same period a year later, the same applies to your application period (1 June 2022 until 28 February 2023).
It does not matter if your child actually is in school or not. In fact, you might have chosen to send your child to school at a later date. It’s important that you apply within the appropriate time window. If you do not apply in time, you may be unable to receive School Age Payment.
School Age Payment late application
You could send a late application to get School Age Payment. In fact, this could be the case because you were waiting on a decision for a qualifying benefit. Then, you need to have received a qualifying benefit in the application window. Furthermore, you must have been awarded it for at least a single day.
Then, you could send a late application to Social Security Scotland. However, you must make sure that they receive your application no later than:
- 3 months following you being told about receiving your backdated benefit, or no later than 3 months following being told of the decision by your local council or DWP, and;
- 20 days following your application window’s last day, or in other words, no more than 20 days after late February, in the same year that your child becomes 4 or 5 years old.
You may have missed the deadline for this benefit because of Covid-19. In fact, if this is the case, you can submit a late application. To determine your eligibility, Social Security Scotland will look at your eligibility on the very last day on which you would typically have qualified for the benefit.
School Age Payment eligibility
To be able to get School Age Payment in 2022, you need to live in Scotland. Then, you need to receive a qualifying benefit. Furthermore, you need to have a child either old enough to start school, or who is starting school. Lastly, you need to apply within the appropriate time period.
| Best Start Grant Payments eligibility in 2022 | |
|---|---|
| Period of application | What will I be eligible for? |
| Either as soon as you know you are pregnant, or before your child turns 3 years old | Best Start Foods |
| Between the 24th week of your pregnancy and the day your child turns 6 months old. If you are looking after a child you have not given birth to, before the child’s first birthday | Best Start Grant: Pregnancy and Baby Payment |
| While your child is between 2 years old and 3 years and 6 months old | Best Start Grant: Early Learning Payment |
| In the year that your child is first old enough to start school. | Best Start Grant: School Age Payment |
In order to be eligible for this benefit, either your partner or yourself has to be responsible for the child that you are applying for on the day on which you submit your application. Being responsible for the child may mean one of the following:
- Receiving benefits for them: you get the child element of Universal Credit, the child addition part of Pension Credit, Child Benefit or Child Tax Credit;
- You are responsible for them but don’t receive benefits for them: this can mean you are a kinship carer, guardian, or you adopted the child.
Disclaimer
You may have adopted the child you’re applying for. If you receive the child element of Universal Credit, the child addition part of Pension Credit, Child Benefit or Child Tax Credit, you will not need to prove adoption to Social Security Scotland.
However, you might not be receiving any of these benefits. Then, you will need to prove adoption. To do so, provide Social Security Scotland with a copy of the legal order which lets you care for the child. Again, it’s highly recommended to send a copy, not the original document.
You can request a pre-paid envelope from Social Security Scotland. To do so, you can phone them. Then, you will be able to send your document. Additionally, you may even be able to receive your envelope with your claim form, if you requested a paper claim form.
What if I am a kinship carer, or multiple people are caring for the child?
You could be a kinship carer if you are caring for a child because a close friend or family member could not. You may receive the child element of Universal Credit, the child addition part of Pension Credit, Child Benefit or Child Tax Credit. In this case, you will not need to prove that you are a kinship carer.
You may not receive a qualifying benefit. Then, you will have to prove to Social Security Scotland that you are a kinship carer. To do so, you may use a copy of a legal order which lets you care for the child. However, your local council and yourself might have passed an agreement, which you would then need to send to Social Security Scotland.
Remember that you should always send a copy of your original documents. Furthermore, if you need a pre-paid envelope, you can Social Security Scotland for one.
You could be missing out on many other benefits. If you care for someone, you may even receive Carer’s Allowance.
What if more than one person applies for the same child?
Only one person may receive this payment for a child. However, if more than one person applies for the same child, Social Security Scotland will look at the eligibility of those who applied. More specifically, this means the benefits that the individual receives for the child, as well as the evidence that indicates who bears responsibility for said child.
Whoever said their claim first will be the claim that Social Security Scotland will look in priority. After that, they will look at additional applications. Furthermore, if you get Universal Credit with child element, Pension Credit with child element or Child Tax Credit for the child, you will qualify for School Age Payment in 2022.
Important
Additionally, you may be a kinship carer. Then, you could receive School Age Payment if no one else that applied gets one of the 3 benefits. Furthermore, you should be able to get the benefit if the conditions of the child show that you are the person responsible for them.
It is possible that no person that applied receives Child Tax Credit, Pension Credit or Universal Credit. Moreover, none also may be a carer. Then, and you receive Child Benefit for the child, you will qualify for School Age Payment in 2022.
Both individuals that apply may receive a qualifying benefit or be kinship carers. Then, then the person that gets School Age Payment in 2022 will be the person who submitted their application first. This is also the case if both of you are kinship carers for the child but do not receive a qualifying benefit for them.
School Age Payment qualifying benefit
Either your partner or yourself need to get a qualifying benefit for the child you’re applying to qualify for School Age Payment in 2022. In fact, these are the qualifying benefits:
- Working Tax Credit;
- Universal Credit;
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA);
- Pension Credit;
- Housing Benefit;
- Child Tax Credit;
- Income Support;
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).
By the date on which you claim School Age Payment in 2022, you will typically need to have received one of these qualifying benefits. However, not everyone has to receive a qualifying benefit. If you are younger than 18 years old and do not get one, you can still apply.
Disclaimer
You may be 18 or 19 years old and in education or training. Then, you do not need to receive a qualifying benefit. However, your parents need to receive the child element of Universal Credit, the child addition part of Pension Credit, Child Benefit or Child Tax Credit for you.
You may have applied for a benefit but not yet received a decision on your eligibility. Send your claim for School Age Payment anyway. In fact, if the benefit you are trying to obtain is not Universal Credit, your claim will be kept for 10 days. Then, if you receive your decision after 10 days later, you will have to claim School Age Payment again.
If you are applying for Universal Credit, your claim for School Age Payment will remain until the end of your Universal Credit assessment period. After this, a decision can be taken on your School Age Payment application.
You may want to know how you can apply for School Age Payment in 2022. However, you should read this article first to know if you are eligible. Then, you can learn more about Best Start Grant to see how you can claim this benefit.
