The DWP gives women up to £1,00 free directly into your bank account and you don’t have to repay it.
The DWP will give up to £1,000 as a grant to women (Image: Getty)
A little-known DWP scheme gives women between £500 and £1,000 cash payments for free, with no requirement to pay them back.
They say you never feel truly ready to have a baby. But women who are in receipt of certain benefits can ensure they’re just a little bit more ready, at least financially, with a Sure Start Maternity Grant.
The grant scheme is open to women in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and is a one-off payment of £500 cash for women who have a baby and claim certain benefits, rising to £1,000 if you give birth to triplets.
If the baby is the only child under 16 in the household, and you also claim one of five benefits, you could get the cash paid directly into your bank account.
To qualify, you (or your partner) need to be claiming one of: Income Support; Income-related Employment and Support Allowance; Income-based Jobseekers Allowance; Universal Credit; the guarantee part of Pension Credit.
You may be able to claim one of the benefits during time off to have the baby, even if you weren’t claiming them before, and in turn, get the £500 to £1,000 grant on top.
Charity Turn2Us explains: “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.
“If your income drops because you are taking time off to have a baby, use the Turn2us 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 are having a multiple birth (like twins or triplets) you might be able to get more than £500.”
Turn2Us explains what happens to increase the money in the event of twins or triplets, adding: “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 £1,000.”
If you qualify, the grant will be paid directly into your bank account. The grant is also not included in the Benefits Cap and does not count as taxable income or as income against your eligibility for any means tested benefits.
To make a claim, you can get a Sure Start Maternity Grant claim form from the DWP website or call 0800 1690140.
The DWP adds: “You must claim the grant within 11 weeks of the baby’s due date or within 6 months after the baby’s birth.
“You do not have to pay the grant back and it will not affect your other benefits.”
