Due to the financial difficulties families are facing due to the increased cost of living over the past 18 months, the government has been making additional payments to those in receipt of certain benefits. These are called Cost of Living Payments. 

If you have had, or are expecting, your first child you may not have received these previously.  

For 2023/24 there are 3 general Cost of Living payments totalling £900. They are being paid in instalments throughout the financial year of £301, £300 and £299. 

You may be eligible for some or all of these payments if you claim: 

• Universal Credit 
• Child Tax Credit 
• Working Tax Credit 
• Pension Credit 
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance 
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance  
• Income Support 

There are slight differences for the payment dates for those who receive Child/Working Tax Credits only because these are administered by HMRC whereas the other benefits are administered by the DWP. 

If you have a joint claim, only one Cost of Living Payment will be made. 

If you receive a DWP benefit and an HMRC benefit you will only receive one Cost of Living Payment most likely from the DWP. 

Payment 2 – £300

Payments for those on Income-Based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income related Employment Support Allowance, Income Support, Pension Credit and Universal Credit will be paid between 31 October and 19 November 2023. You will be eligible for this payment if you have had an award of any of these benefits between the period of 18 August – 17 September 2023.

If you only claim either Working Tax Credits or Child Tax Credits, and received a payment of either of these benefits between 18 August-17 September, you will be paid between 10 November and 19 November. 

Payment 3 – £299

The 3rd Cost of Living payment will be made between 6 February and 22 February 2024. In order to receive this you will need to have been eligible for a qualifying benefit between 13 November and 12 December 2023.

Disability Cost of Living Payment 

If your child is awarded DLA, then they may be eligible for an additional Cost of Living Payment of £150.  

• Other qualifying disability benefits include 
• Attendance Allowance 
• Constant Attendance Allowance 
• Disability Living Allowance for adults 
• Disability Living Allowance for children 
• Personal Independence Payment 
• Adult Disability Payment (in Scotland) 
• Child Disability Payment (in Scotland) 
• Armed Forces Independence Payment 
• War Pension Mobility Supplement 

If you have received a payment of one of the above before 1 April 2023 you are entitled to a payment of £150 between 20 June and 4 July 2023. 

If you started a claim for one of the above benefits before the 1 April 2023 and that benefit is later awarded, you will be entitled to the £150 payment. 

Sure Start Maternity Grant

If your child is awarded DLA, then they may be eligible for an additional Cost of Living Payment of £150.  

• Other qualifying disability benefits include 
• Attendance Allowance 
• Constant Attendance Allowance 
• Disability Living Allowance for adults 
• Disability Living Allowance for children 
• Personal Independence Payment 
• Adult Disability Payment (in Scotland) 
• Child Disability Payment (in Scotland) 
• Armed Forces Independence Payment 
• War Pension Mobility Supplement 

If you have received a payment of one of the above before 1 April 2023 you are entitled to a payment of £150 between 20 June and 4 July 2023. 

If you started a claim for one of the above benefits before the 1 April 2023 and that benefit is later awarded, you will be entitled to the £150 payment. 

Eligibility

First Child

If you are expecting your first child, you will be eligible if you receive one of the following benefits when you apply for the grant: 

• Income Support 
• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance 
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance 
• Pension Credit 
• Child Tax Credit 
• Working Tax Credit that includes a disability or severe disability element 
• Universal Credit 

You can apply up to 11 weeks before your baby is due to be born and no later than 6 months after your baby is born. 

If you are claiming Universal Credit, you will not receive your Sure Start Grant decision until after your next Universal Credit payment is due. 

For example, you are paid Universal Credit on the 17^th of the month. You apply for the Sure Start Grant and send your form back on the 28^th of the month. You will not receive a decision about yout application until after the 17^th of the next month after you receive your next Universal Credit payment.  

Mutiple Births

Usually, you can only clam the £500 Sure Start Maternity grant if it is your first child or you have no other children under the age of 16.  

If you have one child already under the age of 16 and you are expecting twins you can get a grant of £500. If you are expecting triplets, you can get a grant of £1,000. 

If you have already had twins and are expecting another set of twins, you will not get another grant but if you are expecting triplets, you can get another £500 grant. 

If you have already had triplets and are expecting either another set or twin or triplets, you are not entitled to a further grant. 

There are other scenarios when you may be eligible for the Sure Start Maternity Grant, and you already have a child under the age of 16 and they can be found here. 

How to Claim

You need to complete the Sure Start Maternity Grant form called the SF100 form. 

Part of the form needs to be completed by a doctor or a midwife. 

The form can be found here. 

Healthy Start Vouchers

Healthy Start Vouchers are available to people who are at least 10 weeks pregnant and/or have a child under the age of 4 and receive a qualifying benefit and meet any extra criteria. 

It is estimated that only 64.5% of eligible recipients claim Healthy Start Vouchers meaning that nationally up to 200,000 families are missing out.  

In Telford & Wrekin 68.3% of eligible families claim Healthy Start Vouchers which is higher than the national average. 

It is estimated that 724 families are missing out on receiving Healthy Start Vouchers in Telford % Wrekin representing a financial loss of £185,707.60. 

Eligibility

If you receive: 

-Income Support 
-Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance  
-Income-related Employment and Support Allowance  
-Pension Credit (with the child addition) 

You should qualify for the Healthy Start Vouchers without any other criteria. 

If you receive Universal Credit, you should qualify if your family’s take home pay or earned income from employment is less than £408 per month. 

If you receive Child Tax Credits and do not receive any Working Tax Credits and your family’s annual income is less than £16,190 you should qualify for Healthy Start Vouchers.  

If you are not a British Citizen but your child is, you may still be eligible for Health Start Vouchers. You can find more information here. 

How much?

You will get £4.25 per week from the 10th week of your pregnancy until you give birth. 
You will get £8.50 per week for children between birth and 1 year of age.
You will get £4.25 per week for children between 1 and 4 years of age.

How am I paid?

After you apply, if you are eligible, you will receive a Healthy Start card in the post after about 5-10 working days. It will arrive with your first week’s payment on it along with instructions in how to set it up and use it. 

There is more information about activating and using your card on the NHS Healthy Start website here. 

What can I buy?

You can only use your Healthy Start card to buy certain items which include: 

-Certain types of milk 
-Certain types of infant formula 
-Fruit and vegetables 

Milk needs to be plain cow’s milk which is pasteurised, sterilised, long life or UHT (ultra heat treated). 

Infant formula needs to be made from cow’s milk and suitable from birth. You cannot use Healthy Start vouchers for follow-on formula I.e. ‘from 6-months’ or ‘from 12-months’.  

Fruit and vegetables can be fresh, frozen or tinned, whole or chopped, packaged or loose. Fruit can be in fruit juice and vegetables can be in water. You can also buy fresh, dried or tinned pulses like lentils. 

How to Apply

Before applying we would advise that you ensure your details are up to date with the DWP and/or HMRC and that all eligible children are named on any benefit claims. 

You can apply online using the NHS Healthy Start website here.  

You may also be able to apply either via email or by phone depending on what benefits you claim. You can find more information here. 

Free School Meals

Nationally 22.1% of secondary school pupils are eligible for free school meals. In Telford & Wrekin 24.1% of secondary school pupils are eligible for free school meals.  

Your child may be able to get free school meals if you get any of the following: 

• Income Support 
• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance 
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance 
• support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 
• the guaranteed element of Pension Credit 
• Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190) 
• Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit 
• Universal Credit – if you apply on or after 1 April 2018 your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get) 

And you have a child which you receive Child Benefit for and who is attending school or college. 

As schools come under the authority of the local council, applications are made to Telford & Wrekin not the DWP or HMRC. 

You can apply online here. The council will then verify your details to confirm your eligibility and inform you of the outcome of your application. If successful, the council will also inform your child’s school. 

If you have a general enquiry, please email freeschoolmeals@telford.gov.uk.