Parents of almost 100,000 children could miss out on money from the Scottish Child Payment if they fail to apply for the new benefit on Monday.
The £10-per-week payment for eligible families launches on Monday as part of the Scottish Government’s efforts to tackle child poverty.
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.
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.
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.
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 will miss out on some of their entitlement.
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 £3.6bn in social security payments supporting carers, young people, and low-income families, including £68m 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.”
Somerville added: “Covid-19 restrictions continue to put additional pressure on parents and carers and I recognise how busy families are.
“But I’d like to take this opportunity to encourage anyone who hasn’t yet applied, to take 10 minutes to get their application in – it’s vital that people get the money they are entitled to.”
People can apply online at www.mygov.scot/benefits or by calling 0800 182 2222.
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