Scotland

Scottish Finance Secretary Shona Robison has announced changes to Income Tax thresholds, benefits and Stamp Duty in the Scottish Budget. We've rounded up the key changes and what they mean for you.

Council tax for most of Scotland's 2.5 million households will be frozen at current levels until April 2025, the Scottish Government has confirmed.

Scottish students are to receive a £2,400 boost to help with their living costs from this September in the form of a new "special support" loan. This will be available on top of a standard maintenance loan and grant. 

A shake-up to the rate of income tax people in Scotland pay has been confirmed in the Scottish Budget. From 6 April 2024, the threshold at which earners start paying certain rates will rise for some tax bands, while a new "advanced" rate tax band will be introduced. The "top" tax rate will also increase.

If you live in Scotland and claim certain means-tested benefits, and you have children under 16, you can now claim £25 a week per child in 'Scottish child payment'. The benefit has today been extended to reach more families, while the amount you can claim has also been boosted. Over 400,000 children could now be eligible. 

Around 145,000 low income families in Scotland will automatically receive an extra £130 to help with the cost of living this winter. We explain how to check if you're eligible and how you'll get the payment.

The Scottish Government has frozen rent and rail fares as part of emergency legislation introduced to help people during the cost of living crisis. Here's what's happening.  

Some 400,000 households in Scotland will receive £50 annually to help towards winter heating costs, irrespective of weather conditions. It replaces the Cold Weather Payment, which only pays out if temperatures fall below zero degrees over seven consecutive days. 

The Government has proposed a shake-up to the Warm Home Discount (WHD) scheme in Scotland that could see an additional 50,000 households receive the rebate - and the amount people get is set to increase too. 

Anyone aged 25 and under who is registered with a Scottish dental practice can now get free NHS treatment. The change takes force immediately and patients aren’t required to opt-in. Those who started a course of NHS treatment before their 26th birthday can also now get this for free.