I'm on Universal Credit – is there any extra help I can get?

Healthy Start is a scheme that offers £4.25 a week on a prepaid card if you're pregnant or have kids under four (£8.50 a week for babies under one), to buy milk and fresh, or frozen, fruit and veg. You can use the card at most big supermarkets as well as some corner shops, greengrocers and market stalls. To access the scheme you need to be claiming Universal Credit (or another similar benefit) and have a household income of less than £408 a month. See more info on Healthy Start.

There's a similar scheme in Scotland called Best Start Foods for those who are pregnant or have a child under three. You'll receive £21.20 every four weeks during your pregnancy, and while your child is between the ages of one and four. You'll get £42.40 every four weeks for your child's first year. You can access this scheme if you're claiming Universal Credit. See more info on Best Start Foods.

School uniforms

If you qualify for free school meals, you may be able to get up to £200 a year towards school uniform. For more information, including the full criteria, check out Can I get help towards my child's school uniform costs?

Childcare

There are a range of schemes available to support with the cost of having a child, and childcare. The main ones are: 

• The Sure Start Maternity Grant (England and Wales): A £500 one-off payment for those on low incomes, to help towards the costs of having a child. You have to claim the grant within 11 weeks of your baby's due date, or within six months of your baby's birth. For more information, see our Maternity grants guide.
  
  
• Best Start Grant (Scotland): A similar scheme for low-income parents in Scotland. The Best Start Grant is three one-off payments that you'll receive over the course of your child's first years.
   
• Free childcare for children aged three and four: All families in the UK (regardless of income) are entitled to a certain number of hours of free childcare for children between the ages of two and four. There are different rules for each part of the UK – we go into detail in our Childcare costs guide. 

In Scotland, there are some additional schemes specifically to support parents with a newborn: 

• Baby Box: Every new parent in Scotland receives a 'Baby Box' containing clothes, bedding, nappy vouchers, and lots of other things to help with their newborns. Your midwife should fill in a Baby Box registration card with you between your 18 to 20 and 28-week appointment.
  
  
• Bookbug: Every child in Scotland gets four free Bookbug Bags at regular intervals between their birth and age five. Each bag contains picture books and activities suited to your child's age. You don't need to sign up to get the Bookbug Bags – you should receive them through your health visitor or from your child's nursery or school.
  

You may also be able to get help from the Flexible Support Fund for the first month of childcare you need once you find a job. 

The Flexible Support Fund is a discretionary payment, and you have no automatic right to it even if you qualify. If you think you might be eligible, talk to your local Jobcentre Plus or your work coach about how you should apply. You should tell them what you need the money for, and give evidence (such as a bank statement or a monthly budget plan), which shows that you can't afford to pay for the items yourself. 

In Northern Ireland, the Flexible Support Fund is called the 'Adviser Discretionary Fund'. Talk to your work coach to see if you qualify. 

If you're a young person in Scotland, you may also be eligible for additional support from the 'Job Start Payment'. This is a one-off payment of £294.70 (or £471.50 if you are the main carer of a child), designed to help with the costs of getting into work. You may qualify if you're aged 16 to 24, and have been out of work for at least six months. You can apply for the payment online.