Best Start Scotland

Last updated: 08/04/2025

Best Start Grant helps with the costs when you have a baby. There is also help when your child starts nursery and school.

Related links

Baby Box

 

The Best Start Grant School Age Payment application deadline is 28 February 2025

If you are already receiving Scottish Child Payment you do not need to apply, as this payment will be made to you automatically.

If you are not getting Scottish Child Payment or if you have opted out of automatic payments you must apply to the Best Start Grant School Age Payment before the 28 February 2025.

 

The Best Start Grant includes 3 different payments:

The Best Start Grant includes 3 different payments:

  • Best Start Pregnancy and Baby Payment – to help with the costs of pregnancy and having a new baby. You will receive £767.50 from your 25th week of pregnancy to 6 months after the birth of your first child and £383.75 on the birth of any following children. The higher amount may also be given for another baby born:
      • when the mother has had to leave her home due to domestic abuse,
      • after the parent/carer has taken on kinship care of child who was over 12 months old when they started caring for them,
      • to someone granted refugee status, humanitarian protection or leave under the Afghanistan or Ukraine resettlement schemes who had a child before they arrived in the UK.
  • Best Start Early Learning Payment – a payment of £319.80 to help with the costs of early learning. It is paid when your child is between 2 years and 3 years 6 months old. Your child does not need to be in nursery to get it. If you did not get the Pregnancy and Baby Payment you can still apply for this part.
  • Best Start School Age Payment – a further payment of £319.80 to help with the additional costs when your child is school age. Your child does not need to start school to get this.

You may also get help to buy food for you and your baby from Best Start Foods.

 

Baby Box

Parents of all new-born babies in Scotland  can receive a Baby Box. The box contains items you will need for your baby.  The box itself can be used as a safe place for your baby to sleep.

Your midwife will fill in a Baby Box registration card at your 18 – 20 or 28 week anti-natal appointment. The box will be delivered to you 4 weeks before your baby’s due date.

For more information on the Best Start Grant, Best Start Foods and the Baby Box see: Best Start Grant, Best Start Foods and the Baby Box.

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

View Privacy policy

Covering your tracks

You may not want other people to know that you’ve been searching for information or help from OPFS.

When browsing the internet whether on a mobile phone, tablet or computer, you leave a ‘history’ trail of pages and sites you’ve visited.

It’s impossible to completely avoid being tracked online but if you’re worried about someone knowing which sites you’ve been looking at, there are some things you can do to help cover your tracks.

If you’re using a laptop or desktop computer, try keeping another document or website open in a new tab or window while browsing. If someone comes in the room and you don’t want them to see what you’re looking at, you can quickly switch to another window or tab.

Deleting browsing history

You can delete the history of websites you’ve visited, but it’s important to know that if you delete your browsing history, someone else using the same device may notice.

If you share a tablet, mobile phone, laptop or computer with someone, they might notice that passwords or website addresses have disappeared from their history.

Find out how to remove your browsing history and other data from some of the most commonly used browsers:

Browsing in Private mode (incognito)

When browsing ‘incognito’, the internet browser won’t store cookies or record your browsing history on the computer, mobile or tablet.

This option is available on popular web browsers i.e. -

Toolbars

If you use a search toolbar in your web browser, remember that your searched items can be saved as part of your history. Find out how to delete your searched items from the following search engines: