2. Pregnancy and children

There is no provision for pregnant full-time students to claim universal credit (UC), income support or housing benefit.

If you are a part-time student, you can get UC and you will have no work-related requirements from 11 weeks before your expected week of childbirth.

If you have an employer, you may be able to get statutory maternity pay. If you are not working now but have worked recently, you may be able to get maternity allowance.

Once the baby is born, there are various benefits you can claim. You can also get a ‘baby box’ from the Scottish government, containing basic items for a newborn baby.1https://news.gov.scot/news/registration-for-baby-box-will-begin-in-june

Nursing and midwifery students can continue to receive their bursary for a period of up to 45 weeks’ maternity leave.

 

1     https://news.gov.scot/news/registration-for-baby-box-will-begin-in-june  »

Lone parents

Once the baby is born, if you are a lone parent studying full time you can claim:

•a Best Start grant, if you get UC or certain other benefits, or you are under 18 (see here) (see cpag.org.uk/scotland/welfare-rights/scottish-benefits/payments-children). Claims must be made within six months of the birth or, in some cases, before the birth;
•Best Start foods (see here).

Fathers and partners

If your partner has had a baby and you have an employer, you may be able to claim statutory paternity pay. You can claim if you are the child’s father or the mother’s partner and you will be caring for the baby or the mother. You may also be able to claim statutory shared parental pay.

Couples

Throughout the course, including in the summer vacation, a full-time student couple (ie, both partners are students) with a child can claim:

•child benefit;
•UC;
•Best Start foods (see here);
•Scottish child payment (for children under 6).

Couples can also claim a Best Start grant if one partner gets a qualifying benefit (see here).