The £10-per-week payment for eligible families launches on Monday as part of the Scottish Government’s efforts to tackle child poverty.

Money will be given out monthly, beginning in late February once eligibility has been assessed and decisions made.

Payments will be backdated from the day the application is sent, meaning eligible families who fail to apply by Monday would miss out on some of their entitlement.

The Scottish Government has revealed 77,000 applications had been received as of last Sunday.

The Scottish Child Payment - which has been labelled ‘game changing’ by leading child anti-poverty charities - is now live. This £10 payment per child is to support families and tackle poverty. Another major policy delivered @scotgov @theSNP pic.twitter.com/jBvX4DA7Fy

— John Swinney (@JohnSwinney) February 15, 2021

But if all 77,000 applications received so far are approved, it would still only account for 44.5% of the 173,000 children now estimated to be eligible by the Scottish Fiscal Commission.

Payments will be backdated from the day the application is sent, meaning eligible families who fail to apply by Monday will miss out on some of their entitlement.

Who is eligible?

Parents and carers who receive other welfare support such as Universal Credit or unemployment benefits are able to apply for the payment for each child under the age of six, with the benefit being rolled out for all qualifying under-16s by 2022.

Full details on who can apply can be found here

What has the Scottish Government said?

Social Security Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said the Government was “proactively promoting” the payment and had written to Universal Credit and HMRC tax credit databases who may be eligible, describing the response as “fantastic”.

She said: “Today marks the day that parents and carers will become eligible for Scottish Child Payment.

“We’ve had a great response and this is a very large number of applications.

“It will take time to work through these applications and I’d like to ask families for their patience while we work as quickly as we can to process these.

“The Scottish Child Payment is the most ambitious anti-poverty measure currently being undertaken anywhere in the UK.

“Announced in late June 2019, the new payment has been achieved at great speed.

“In 2021-22 we will invest £3.6 billion in social security payments supporting carers, young people, and low-income families, including £68 million for this new payment.

“Significantly more families are now relying on benefits due to the pandemic – some perhaps for the first time.

“Scottish Child Payments will help lift children in Scotland out of poverty.”

How can I apply?

People can apply online HERE at or by calling 0800 182 2222.