Full list of monthly benefits and one-off payments only people living in Scotland can claim

Social Security Scotland has published its Annual Report and Accounts, which shows that it made £1.9 billion in payments to people in Scotland from April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024. The payments were made across 14 Scottish benefits, seven of which are not available anywhere else in the UK.

This includes £942 million for Adult Disability Payment (ADP) which now supports more than 300,000 disabled people in Scotland. Social Security Scotland also paid £463m to help families on low incomes with their living costs through five family payments, which includes Scottish Child Payment, which was benefiting more than 329,000 children and young people by the end of March 2024.

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Winter Heating Payment was paid to 400,000 people by February this year to help towards the cost of heating homes and Carer Support Payment which offers help to people who do so much for others began a phased rollout in the Western Isles, Dundee City and Perth and Kinross last year and is now available across Scotland.

Eligible people who get benefits include carers, disabled people and families, pensioners, young people starting jobs and people who need help paying for a funeral.

In total, the combination of direct payments made by Social Security Scotland and those paid through Agency Agreements with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) saw the Scottish Government invest over £5.2bn in benefits across Scotland.

Commenting on the figures, Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Shirley-Anne Somerville, said: “We are committed to tackling poverty and supporting people throughout Scotland. At a time when families are struggling with the ongoing cost of living crisis, we have been delivering 14 benefits, seven of which are only available in Scotland.

“Winter Heating Payment is a reliable annual payment to people on low incomes in Scotland, including pensioners receiving Pension Credit. We continue to offer vital support to families through our five family payments, including Scottish Child Payment which was helping to support more than 329,000 children and young people by the end of financial year 2023-24.

“We are focused on ensuring people get the money they are entitled to and that we deliver these payments while treating people with dignity, fairness and respect.”

Benefits and payments only available in Scotland

Below is everything you need to know about devolved benefits and payments with direct links to the dedicated pages on the Social Security Scotland website here.

Winter Heating Payment - £58.75 annual payment

The new annual payment replaces the Cold Weather Payment delivered by DWP last year and will be worth £58.75 during winter 2024/25.

It is designed to help people on a low income or benefits who might have extra heating needs during the winter - find out more here.

Child Winter Heating Payment - £251.50 annual payment

This is an annual payment that will rise to £251.50 this year to help families of youngsters up to the age of 19 on the highest rate care component of disability benefits. This includes Disability Living Allowance for Children, Child or Adult Disability Payment and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) - find out more here.

Scottish Child Payment - £26.70 weekly payment

This is a payment of £26.70 per week, per child - £106.80 every four weeks - to help towards the costs of looking after each child under 16 for families who get certain benefits - find out more here.

Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment

This is a one-off payment of up to £754.65 from 24 weeks in pregnancy up until a baby turns six months for families who get certain benefits - find out more here.

Best Start Grant Early Learning Payment

This is a one-off payment of £314.40 when a child is between two and three years and six months for families who get certain benefits - find out more here.

Best Start Grant School Age Payment

This is a one-off payment of £314.40 when a child would normally start primary one for families who get certain benefits - find out more here.

Best Start Foods

This is a pre-paid card from pregnancy up to when a child turns three for families on certain benefits to help buy healthy food - find out more here.

Funeral Support Payment

This is money towards the costs of a funeral at a difficult time like this for people on certain benefits who are responsible for paying for a funeral. The current average payout is £1,800 - find out more here.

Payment rates 2024/25:

  • Higher rate: £1,257.75

  • Lower rate: £153.50

  • Medical device removal rate: £25.35

Job Start Payment

This is a one-off payment for 16 to 24 year olds who have been on certain benefits for six months or more to help with the costs of starting a job - find out more here.

Payment rates:

  • Higher rate: £503.10

  • Standard rate: £314.45

Child Disability Payment - up to £737 every four weeks

This is extra money - up to the value of £737 every four weeks - to help with the costs of caring for a child with a disability or ill-health condition. It replaces Disability Living Allowance for children in Scotland that was previously delivered by the DWP - find out more here.

Adult Disability Payment - up to £737 every four weeks

This is extra money - worth between £114.80 and £737.20 every four weeks - to help people who have a long-term illness or a disability that affects their everyday life. It replaces Personal Independence Payment people in Scotland previously delivered by the DWP - find out more here.

To find out more about any of the benefits or payments, or to apply visit Social Security Scotland online here or contact them on 0800 182 2222.

Young Carer Grant - £383.75 annual payment

This is an annual payment of £383.75 for people 16, 17 or 18 who care for people who get a disability benefit from the DWP for an average of 16 hours a week or more - find out more here.

Carer’s Allowance Supplement - £288.60 paid twice a year

This is an automatic payment of £288.60 made twice a year to people who get Carer’s Allowance through the DWP on certain dates each year.

The first payment of 2024 was made in June and the next is due in December. People who make a new claim by October 7 will also qualify for the December payment - find out more here.

Carer Support Payment - £81.90 weekly payment

Carer Support Payment is gradually replacing Carer's Allowance for new and existing claimants in Scotland. Full details about the new benefit can be found here.

Pension Age Disability Payment - up to £434 every four weeks

Pension Age Disability Payment will replace Attendance Allowance as part of a phased pilot launch which started on October 21 for new claimants, before rolling out nationwide in March 2025.

People living in Scotland will receive either £72.65 or £108.55 each week - the same rate as Attendance Allowance. it will be paid every four weeks - £290.60, or £434.20 per pay period.

Pension Age Disability Payment will support older people who have a disability that means they need assistance with looking after themselves, or supervision to keep them safe. Find out more about the new payment here.

Customer satisfaction survey

The results of Social Security Scotland's annual Client Survey have also been published, showing that 90 per cent of respondents who received a payment from Social Security Scotland say their overall experience was ‘very good’ or ‘good’.

Among those who responded to the survey, 85 per cent said their experience with staff was also ‘very good’ or ‘good’, 89 per cent said they were treated with kindness while 85% of people surveyed felt they were listened to.

Some 95 per cent of people with experience of Scottish Child Payment rated their overall experience as ‘very good’ or ‘good’.

Social Security Scotland Chief Executive, David Wallace, said: “While our service has continued to expand significantly, our clients remain at the heart of everything we do.

“We have focused on delivering new payments to people across Scotland including Carer Support Payment, while ensuring we give our clients an improved experience. This year, we have reduced call waiting and processing times and made it easier for people to submit supporting information for disability benefit applications.

“As the number of people we serve grows, I am delighted we have maintained high client satisfaction rates with our annual Client Survey showing 90% of people who received a payment from us saying their overall experience was ‘very good’ or ‘good’.”