Check if you can get the Early Learning Payment

You might be able to make a late application for an Early Learning Payment if you could not apply earlier because you were waiting for a decision about a qualifying benefit.

If you're awarded the qualifying benefit for at least 1 day when your child was aged between 2 and 3 and a half, you can apply for the payment.

You must make sure that Social Security Scotland receives your late application:

• not more than 20 working days after the last day of the application window - this means not more than 20 days after the end of the day on which the child turns 3 and a half, and

• within 3 months of you being told about the backdated award - you’ll need to apply within 3 months of the date that the authority made the decision, for example the DWP or your local council.

You can make a late application. Social Security Scotland will check your application against your circumstances on the last day that you would normally have been eligible.

You can get an Early Learning Payment. 

If you get Child Benefit, Child Tax Credit, the Pension Credit child addition or the child element of Universal Credit for the child, you will not need to give any evidence of the adoption to Social Security Scotland. 

If you do not get Child Benefit, Child Tax Credit, the Pension Credit child addition or the child element of Universal Credit for the child, you might need to send Social Security Scotland a copy of the legal order that allows you to look after the child. 

You should send Social Security Scotland a copy of the legal order, not the original.

You can ask Social Security Scotland to send you a pre-paid envelope to put the copy of the order in. You can phone them to ask for this. If you were sent a paper application form, the pre-paid envelope should have been sent with the form. 

Find out more about adoption.

You might be able to get an Early Learning Payment.

Being a kinship carer means that you're looking after the child because a relative or close friend cannot look after them. For example, you might be looking after your grandchild, niece or nephew.

If you do not get Child Benefit, Child Tax Credit, the child addition of Pension Credit or the child element of Universal Credit for the child, you will need to send Social Security Scotland proof that you're a kinship carer. This could be a copy of the legal order that allows you to look after the child or the agreement you have with the local council.

If you're not sure if the local council recognises you as a kinship carer, you can check this. For example, you can write to the local council or get help from the kinship care helpline.

You should send Social Security Scotland a copy of the legal order, not the original.

You can ask Social Security Scotland to send you a pre-paid envelope. You can phone them to ask for this. If you were sent a paper application form, the pre-paid envelope should have been sent with the form.

Read more about kinship care.

Only 1 person can get the Early Learning Payment for a child.

If you and somebody else apply for the same child, Social Security Scotland will decide who gets the payment based on which benefits you already get for the child and how you can show you're responsible for the child.

Social Security Scotland must decide on the application of the person who applied first, before deciding on another application.

You'll get the Early Learning Payment if you get one of these benefits for the child:

• Child Tax Credit

• Pension Credit with child element

• Universal Credit with child element.

If you're a kinship carer, you'll get the Early Learning Payment if either:

• no one else applying gets one of these benefits

• the child’s circumstances show that you're responsible for them.

If no one is a kinship carer or getting benefits

You'll get the Early Learning Payment if you get Child Benefit and no one who applied:

• is a kinship carer

• gets Universal Credit, Pension Credit or Child Tax Credit for the child.

But if no one gets Child Benefit, Social Security Scotland will decide who gets the payment by considering the child’s circumstances. This means they'll think about where the child lives and how they’re cared for.

If you're both kinship carers or getting benefits

The person who applied for Early Learning Payment first will get the payment if everyone applying has the same level of priority.

You might have the same level of priority if you and the other person:

• are kinship carers but do not get any benefits for the child yet

• get Universal Credit, Pension Credit or Child Tax Credit for the child.

For example, you might both get a benefit like Universal Credit for the child because you have a joint claim.

You should check this out.

You'll need to act quickly if your child is close to the age limit of 3 and a half years old.

Use an online benefit calculator to see if you might be entitled to anything. You can find benefit calculators on the Turn2Us website or the Entitledto website. 

For help applying, get advice from a Citizens Advice Bureau.

You can still apply for an Early Learning Payment. 

If you're waiting for a decision about a claim for Universal Credit, your claim for an Early Learning Payment will be held until the end of the first Universal Credit assessment period. An Early Learning Payment decision can then be made at this point. This is called a 'determination'. 

If you're waiting for a decision about a claim for any benefit other than Universal Credit, the claim will be held for 10 days in case a decision is made in that time. If so, a determination about the Early Learning Payment can be made. If not, you'll need to re-apply for the Early Learning Payment once your other benefit claim is decided.

If you've missed the application window for the Early Learning Payment but you've now been awarded a qualifying benefit, you might be able to make a late claim for a payment. This will only be possible if you've been awarded the benefit for a date within the application window.

Find out if you can make a late claim for a payment. 

If you're not sure if you can apply, check how you can get advice.

You might not get some Universal Credit every month if your income goes up and down.

Check that you got an award of Universal Credit in the month before you apply for an Early Learning Payment, because this will be checked first. It will not matter if you do not get any Universal Credit in the month you apply, as long as you got some for the month before you applied.

If your Universal Credit goes down because of deductions, for example for a sanction or money you owe, this will not matter. Social Security Scotland will look at the amount of your Universal Credit before any deductions are made. 

Read more about how Universal Credit is paid.

You don't need to get any of the qualifying benefits to get an Early Learning Payment. 

You don't need to get any benefits as long as someone else gets Child Benefit, Child Tax Credit, the child addition of Pension Credit or the child element of Universal Credit for you. For example, your parent or carer might get one of these benefits for you because you're still at school or college. 

When you apply, you'll need to give your parent or carer's details so Social Security Scotland can check they get benefits for you. You'll need to give their name, date of birth and national insurance number if they have one.

Read more about Child Benefit. 

Read more about Child Tax Credit. 

Find out about Pension Credit.

Read more about how much Universal Credit you could get.