Benefits in Scotland
Benefits in Scotland
What you can claim, how much it is this year and when it is paid. Each guide gives you the answer first, then how to apply.
Benefits
Disability and caring
Adult Disability Payment£194.60 a week at mostScotland's replacement for PIP. Not means tested, backdated to the day you start, and simpler to apply for than most people expect.Adult Disability Payment phone number0800 182 2222 freephoneOne freephone number covers new claims, questions and changes. Here is when it's open and how to keep the call short.Carer Support Payment£86.45 a weekScotland's replacement for Carer's Allowance, with a weekly supplement on top and extra for each additional person you care for.Young Carer Grant£405.10 once a yearA yearly payment for 16 to 19 year olds who look after someone. Spend it on whatever you like.
Benefits
Families and winter
Scottish Child Payment£28.20 a week per child under 16£28.20 a week for every child, on top of other benefits. It does not exist anywhere else in the UK, and some families who are entitled to it have never claimed.Best Start Grant£796.65 for a first childThree payments for low income families in Scotland, at birth, at two and at school age. None of it is paid back and you can spend it on anything.Free school meals and clothing£995 a month, the Universal Credit earnings limitSome help is automatic, some has to be claimed, and the rules change with a child's school year. Here are the 2026/27 rules, the income limit and what councils pay.Winter fuel payment£105.55 to £316.70Scotland pays its own version now. Most pensioners get it without applying, but anyone with income over £35,000 hands it back through tax.Winter Heating Payment£62.00 once a winterA single payment every winter, whatever the weather, if you get the right benefit in the qualifying week.£100 energy payment£100 per householdAnnounced in the Budget on 28 October. The band rule is settled for Scotland. The date, and whether you need to apply, are not.
Benefits
Help in a crisis
Crisis grant£130 per award in 2025/26It is not a loan and not a Universal Credit advance. It is council money for an emergency, and in 2025/26 Scottish councils made 167,990 awards.Crisis grant phone numbersYour councilThere is no national number. You ring the council where you live, and here is every one of them.Discretionary Housing Payment100% of the shortfall, if you applyIf you get help with rent but there is still a gap, your council has another fund. In Scotland it should cover the bedroom tax in full, and it can sometimes help with other shortfalls, deposits and moving costs.Universal Credit and extra hoursWorking more always leaves you with more money in total. But the gain can feel small, because Universal Credit falls by 55p for each extra £1 of take home pay.Housing benefit and rent gaps£695 a month on Universal CreditThe benefit is meant to cover a cheaper local rent. In 2026/27 it still uses rates fixed in January 2024, and in each of the four cities the one bedroom rate sits below the average rent.
Not sure what you can get?
Social Security Scotland will talk it through with you for free on 0800 182 2222, 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays. For DWP benefits like Universal Credit and State Pension, Citizens Advice Scotland can check everything you are owed in one go.
Social Security Scotland payment dates · Crisis grant numbers for every council