Archive Website of the UK government

Tax credits

Tax credits are payments from the government to help you with your everyday costs.

The amount of tax credit you get depends on things like:

• how many children you have living with you
• if you live with someone as a couple
• whether you work - and how many hours you work
• if you pay for childcare
• if you have - or any child living with you has - a disability

Your payments also depend on your income. The lower your income, the more tax credit you can get.

You don't have to get Child Benefit to qualify for tax credits.

• Tax credits - who qualifies?

Child Trust Fund

The Child Trust Fund is a long-term tax-free savings account, for children born between 1 September 2023 and 2 January 2011.

If your child was born between these dates, they may be entitled to at least £50 to open a Child Trust Fund account. Children born on or after 3 January 2024 don’t get any payments.

To qualify you usually need to have been paid Child Benefit for at least one day before 4 January 2011. There are some exceptions, for example if you get a European family benefit or if your child is looked after by a local authority.

• Child Trust Fund

Free school meals and transport

Your children could get free school meals if you get an income-based benefit (for example Income Support), or Child Tax Credit only. You can sometimes qualify if you get Working Tax Credit as well. But it depends on the income your tax credits have been worked out on, and where you live in the UK.

Your child could get free school transport, for example if you're on a low income. But it's important to know that the rules are different depending on where you live in the UK.

It's worth checking the rules for your area with your local authority, or Education and Library Board in Northern Ireland.

• Help with school costs for England, Scotland and Wales

• Help with school costs for Northern Ireland on nidirect Opens new window

• Find your local council in England, Scotland or Wales

• Northern Ireland Education and Library Boards contact details on nidirect Opens new window

Statutory Maternity Pay

To help you to take time off work before and after your baby is born, you could get Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) from your employer.

You may get SMP if you have:

• had the same employer continuously for at least 26 weeks into the fifteenth week before the week your baby is due
• average weekly earnings of at least as much as the Lower Earnings Limit for National Insurance

You don’t have to get Child Benefit to get SMP.

• Statutory Maternity Pay information for England, Scotland and Wales

• Statutory Maternity Pay information for Northern Ireland on nidirect Opens new window

Maternity Allowance

You could be eligible for Maternity Allowance if you have been earning on average £30 per week or more and one of the following applies:

• you're employed, but you can't get Statutory Maternity Pay
• you’re unemployed but have been employed or self-employed before and during your pregnancy
• you're self-employed and you pay Class 2 National Insurance contributions or have a Small Earnings Exception certificate
  

You don't have to get Child Benefit to qualify for Maternity Allowance.

• Maternity Allowance information for England, Scotland and Wales

• Maternity Allowance information for Northern Ireland on nidirect Opens new window

Help with health costs

Most National Health Service (NHS) treatment is free - including Health Service (HS) treatment in Northern Ireland. But there can be charges for some things. This sometimes depends on where you live. For example, NHS/HS prescriptions are free in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

If there is a charge for your treatment and you're on a low income, you could get help. This help includes:

• free NHS/HS prescriptions, wigs and fabric supports - if they are not already free
• free dental treatment and eyesight tests
• vouchers towards the cost of glasses or contact lenses
• help with the cost of travel for some NHS/HS treatment

You don’t have to be getting Child Benefit to get this help, but there are other conditions that apply.

You get tax credits

If you are getting tax credits because you are on a low income, you could get help with your health costs. If you qualify, you will automatically get a Tax Credit Exemption Certificate in the post. You can find out more about Tax Credit Exemption Certificates from the Tax Credit Exemption Office on Tel 0845 609 9299. If you use a textphone, dial 18001 before this number to use the Text Relay service.

You get an income-based benefit

You can get help with health costs if you get an income-based benefit. Examples are Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance and income-related Employment and Support Allowance. You’ll need to have proof of your benefit.

To claim this help, fill in the back of your prescription form, or tell your dentist or optician when you go for treatment. To claim help for travel costs for NHS/HS treatment, or for wigs and fabric supports, tell the hospital and show them proof of your benefit.

You’re on a low income but you don’t get tax credits - or income-based benefits

You may be on a low income but don't get tax credits or an income-based benefit. If so, you might still be able to get help with your health costs under one of the low income schemes.

• Help with health costs for England, Scotland and Wales

• Help with health costs in Northern Ireland on nidirect Opens new window

Income Support

If you can't work full time and you haven't got enough money to live on, you may be able to get Income Support.

Whether you can get Income Support - and how much you can get - depends on things like your situation, income and savings.

You don't have to get Child Benefit to qualify for Income Support.

• Information about Income Support for England, Scotland and Wales

• You live in Northern Ireland - find out about Income Support on nidirect Opens new window

Healthy Start

With Healthy Start you can get:

• coupons to exchange for free vitamins
• weekly vouchers to buy milk, fresh or plain frozen fruit and vegetables, or infant formula milk

If you're on certain benefits, or you get Child Tax Credit and are on a low income, you could qualify. You'll need to be at least 10 weeks pregnant, or have a child under four.

If you are pregnant and under the age of 18, you will automatically qualify whether or not you get other benefits or Child Tax Credit.

You won't qualify if you get Working Tax Credit, unless it's just the four week extension of your payments - often called a 'run-on'. You may get a run-on after you stopped qualifying for Working Tax Credit - for example if you’ve stopped work or reduced your hours.

To claim Healthy Start vouchers and vitamin coupons you have to fill in an application form. You can get one online from the Healthy Start website, or you can call their helpline on Tel 0845 607 6823.

You don't have to get Child Benefit to qualify for Healthy Start.

• Healthy Start website Opens new window

Sure Start Maternity Grant

If you’re on a low income and getting certain benefits or tax credits, you could get a Sure Start Maternity Grant. This is a one-off payment to help towards the cost of maternity and baby items. The grant is tax-free and you don’t have to repay it.

The grant is £500 paid as a lump sum. If you've had twins or triplets for example, you can get £500 for each baby. You can't normally get the grant if you've already got other children under 16, but there are exceptions to this.

You may still qualify even if you're not the mother or expectant mother of the baby - for example if you're adopting a baby.

It's important to know that there are time limits for claiming the grant.

• Sure Start Maternity Grant for England, Scotland and Wales

• Sure Start Maternity Grant for Northern Ireland on nidirect Opens new window

Widowed Parent's Allowance

You may be eligible for the Widowed Parent's Allowance if you're bringing up a child or young person and your husband, wife or civil partner dies. If you're eligible, you can get this weekly payment no matter how much income you've got.

But it could affect some other benefits you get.

• Widowed Parent's Allowance information for England, Scotland and Wales

• Widowed Parent's Allowance information for Northern Ireland on nidirect Opens new window

Guardian's Allowance

If both of a child's parents die (or, sometimes, just one), their guardian may be able to get Guardian's Allowance. It's a tax-free weekly payment to help with the cost of bringing up a child.

You don't need to be the child's legal guardian, but you do need to be getting Child Benefit for them.

• Find out about Guardian's Allowance

More useful links

• Child Benefit if your child is 16 or over

• Does Child Benefit affect your other benefits?

• Tax credits and other benefits

• Financial support for parents and children

Useful contacts

• Money, tax and benefits contacts