A Sure Start Maternity Grant is a one-off payment of £500 to help with the costs of having a new-born or adopted baby. It only applies to people living in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. If you live in Scotland, you might be able to get the more generous Best Start grant instead.

You will only get a Sure Start Maternity Grant if the new baby is the only child under 16 in the household. There are special rules that you may still be able to claim if you already have children under 16. 

You can choose how to spend the grant money. You do not have to pay the grant back and it won’t affect your other benefits or tax credits.

A Sure Start Maternity Grant does not count as income when calculating your entitlement to other means-tested benefits .

Applies to: England, Wales and Northern Ireland

Age rules: There are no specific age rules

Type of benefit: Means-tested

Taxable: No

Administered by: Department for Work and Pensions

Updated: June 2022

You can apply for a Sure Start Maternity Grant if you have no other children under 16 and you or your partner get:

• Income Support or

• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance or

• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or

• Universal Credit or

• The guarantee part of Pension Credit, or

• Child tax credit, or

• Working tax credit that includes a disability or severe disability element.

You may also qualify if you're getting a Support for Mortgage Interest Loan. 

If your income drops because you are taking time off to have a baby, use our Benefits Calculator to check if this change means you could claim any of these benefits.

If you don't qualify for one of these benefits because you're under 16 or in education, a family member could claim a Sure Start Maternity Grant for you if they get a qualifying benefit.

If you already have children under 16

You may still be able to claim if any of the following apply:

• you're expecting a multiple birth
• the child you're caring for is someone else's (but not your partner's) and the child was over 12 months old when you started caring for them.
• you have refugee status, humanitarian protection or you've come to the UK from Afghanistan or Ukraine (see below for more details).
• you're claiming for a family member under 16, or 16 to 19 who is expecting a baby and in certain types of education or training. 

If you're not giving birth

You may also be able to claim if you're adopting or becoming a surrogate parent. The baby must be less than 1 year old on the date you claim and you must be receiving one of the benefits above. 

You can find Sure Start Maternity Grants information on the Gov.UK website.

A Sure Start Maternity Grant is £500.

If you are having a multiple birth (like twins or triplets) you might be able to get more than £500. 

If you are expecting a multiple birth and there are no other children under 16 in the household, you will get £500 for each baby.

If you are expecting a multiple birth and there are children under 16 in the household already, you will not get a grant for the first of the multiple births, but you will for the others. For example, Beth is expecting triplets. She already has a 5 year old. Beth will not get a payment for the first of the triplets, but will for the other two. So Beth will get £1000.

Benefit Cap

A Sure Start Maternity Grant is not included in the Benefit Cap which limits the total amount in some benefits that working-age people can receive.

How will I be paid a Sure Start Maternity Grant?

A Sure Start Maternity Grant is paid directly into your bank account.

Sure Start Maternity Grant and other benefits

A Sure Start Maternity Grant does not count as income when calculating your entitlement to other means-tested benefits .

In England and Wales

Download a Sure Start Maternity Grant claim form from the Department for Work and Pensions website - you will need access to a printer.

Or call the Sure Start helpline on 0800 169 0140 to order a form (including if you need the form in braille or large print).

The gov.uk website also allows you to claim using BSL and offers a Relay UK service, among other formats. 

In Northern Ireland

Contact your local Social Security/Jobs and Benefits Office for a claim form

Print out and fill in a Sure Start Maternity Grant claim form on the NI Direct website.

What documents will I need to claim a Sure Start Maternity Grant?

You will need to provide evidence of the pregnancy or childbirth from a health professional (such as aa doctor or midwife). They can either:

• fill in a form MAT B1
• write a statement confirming your pregnancy or childbirth

If you are close to the deadline for claiming the grant, you can send in the form without evidence from a healthcare professional, then send the evidence later.

What is the deadline for claiming a grant?

You can claim from the eleventh week before the baby is due and up to six months after the baby is born.

If you are adopting a child the claim must be made within six months of the date of the adoption.

If you disagree with the decision made on your claim you can usually ask for it to be looked at again known as a ' mandatory reconsideration '. If you still disagree with the further decision you can then appeal to an independent tribunal.

The time limits are strict, you will usually be given one month to dispute a decision, so it is important to seek advice and act quickly.

See our guide to challenging decisions which includes the different process for challenging decisions in Northern Ireland  Challenging Department of Work and Pensions Benefit Decisions