What is the Sure Start Maternity Grant and how much can I get?

Full answer

The Sure Start Maternity Grant is a single, tax-free GBP 500 payment in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to help with the costs of having a baby. (Scotland uses its own Best Start Grant instead.) The grant does not affect your other benefits and never has to be repaid. Who it affects: it targets low-income households. To qualify you, or your partner, must usually be receiving one of the qualifying benefits -- for example Universal Credit, Income Support, Pension Credit, or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance. The exact qualifying-benefit list and any income conditions are set by the DWP, so check the current rules on gov.uk before applying. The key restriction is that the grant is normally paid only if there are no other children under 16 in your household. So it is typically a first-baby payment. There are exceptions: you can usually still claim for a multiple birth (twins or triplets) even if you already have children, and special rules apply if you are taking on responsibility for a child, such as through adoption or surrogacy. Timing matters. You generally must claim within a fixed window -- from 11 weeks before your due date up to 6 months after the birth. Miss that window and the GBP 500 is lost. You apply using the SF100 Sure Start Maternity Grant form, which needs to be signed by a health professional such as a midwife or doctor confirming the pregnancy or birth. For the 2026/27 year the GBP 500 figure is unchanged from prior years -- it is a flat amount, not uprated annually. Because the grant depends on means-tested benefits, your wider entitlement can shift if your earnings change, so it is worth modelling your take-home pay to understand your overall position.

Try the calculator