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GrantEnglandWalesNorthern Ireland

Sure Start Maternity Grant

Department for Work and Pensions (Social Fund) / Department for Communities (Northern Ireland)

Details being confirmed

Some figures on this page (such as the amount, deadline, or rate) are provisional and due a fresh verification pass against the official source. Please confirm the current details using the official link below before relying on this information.

Description

A one-off £500 payment to help with the costs of a new baby, for low-income families in England, Wales and Northern Ireland expecting their first child, or expecting a multiple birth (twins, triplets) while already having children. Administered by the Department for Work and Pensions' Social Fund in England and Wales, and by the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland under the same claim form and base rate — not a devolved replacement, just a different claim-handling body and postal address. Scotland has no Sure Start Maternity Grant at all; Scottish residents instead apply for the different, more generous Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment — see the separate entry.

Amount

£500 one-off payment (unchanged since 2011); Northern Ireland may pay more for a first multiple birth (not independently confirmed against England/Wales rules in this pass).

Deadline

Rolling / no fixed deadline

Eligibility summary

  • Available in: England, Wales, Northern Ireland.
  • Open to individuals — not restricted to businesses.
  • Relevant income bands: earning under the Personal Allowance.
Notes
The £500 rate has been unchanged since 2011 and is not annually uprated — confirmed directly on gov.uk and corroborated by several independent benefits-advice sources in this pass. Northern Ireland's own nidirect.gov.uk page describes a higher payment for first multiple births specifically (e.g. up to £1,000 for a first set of triplets) under its SF100-based scheme; this could not be fully cross-checked against DWP's own equivalent multiple-birth rules for England/Wales in this pass, so flagged for review. Not modelled on the applicant's own Profile.ageBand, since eligibility turns on pregnancy/the child's age, not the parent's.
Requirement
You or your partner receive Universal Credit, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Pension Credit, or a Support for Mortgage Interest loan, and usually have no other children under 16 — unless this is a multiple birth, you're caring for a child who was already over 12 months old when you took responsibility for them (and who isn't your partner's child), you or your partner have refugee/humanitarian protection status or came to the UK under the Afghan or Ukraine schemes, or a family member under 20 in approved education is having their first child.

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How to apply

Claim using form SF100 (Sure Start), available from gov.uk or by calling the Sure Start Maternity Grant helpline, any time from 11 weeks before your baby's due date up to 6 months after the birth. Northern Ireland claimants send the completed form to the Department for Communities instead of DWP, but use the same form and base rate.

View official source

Last verified: 3 October 2026. See the footer disclaimer — this is general information, not financial or tax advice.