Little-known benefit that gives parents a £442 boost to spend in supermarkets
A LITTLE-known benefit that gives parents up to £442 to spend on their weekly food shop continues to go unclaimed.
An estimated 181,255 households could be due the support, according to new figures by Policy in Practice.
The Healthy Start scheme supports pregnant people and families with young children.
The free cash support available can be used to fund groceries, including fruit, vegetables, and milk.
The scheme provides a weekly allowance of £4.25 for people over 10 weeks pregnant, £8.50 for the first year of a child's life, and £4.25 a week for children aged one to four.
Eligibility is based on income levels and entitlement to means-tested
benefits such as Universal Credit.
It's always worth checking to see if you can claim, as it can be worth up to £442 a year per child.
Previously Healthy Start used to be issued via paper vouchers, but eligible households now receive a prepaid card.
We've explained everything you need to know about the Healthy Start scheme below.
Who is eligible?
To receive the Healthy Start card, you must be on one of the following benefits:
Child tax credits (only if your family's annual income is £16,190 or less)
Income support
Income-based jobseeker's allowance
Pension credit (which includes the child addition)
Universal Credit (only if your family's take-home pay is £408 or less per month from employment)
You will also be eligible for Healthy Start if:
You're under 18 and pregnant, even if you are not claiming any benefits
You claim income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and are over 10 weeks pregnant
You, your partner or your carer get working tax credit run-on only after you have reported you're working 16 hours or less per week
Beware of tax firms taking a slice of your HMRC refund
What can I buy with my Healthy Start card
THE card can only be used to buy certain items - here is the full list of what you can and cannot buy
You can purchase the following:
Fresh fruit and veg
Tinned or frozen fruit or veg
Dried fruit
Fresh, dried or tinned pulses
Fresh or long-life pasteurised cow's milk
Baby formula made from cow's milk
Healthy Start vitamins
You cannot purchase:
Any frozen or tinned foods with added ingredients like fat, salt, sugar or flavourings, such as tinned tomatoes with herbs or kidney beans in chilli sauce
Chips or onion rings
Tinned fruits in syrup
Smoothies or juices
Plant-based milk
Follow-on formula
Powdered, condensed or flavoured milk (apart from stage one infant formula)
How much will I get?
You'll get £4.25 each week of your pregnancy from the 10th week, £8.50 each week for children from birth to one, and £4.25 each week for children between one and four.
That's as much as £442 worth of free food over the year for each child.
Your money will stop when your child is four years old or if you no longer receive benefits.
How do I access the cash?
Healthy Start money is issued on a prepaid card that you can use in most places where food is sold, including supermarkets such as Alid, Iceland and Tesco.
You can also swipe it at a number of convenience stores, pharmacies, markets, butchers shops and petrol stations.
What help is available for parents?
CHILDCARE can be a costly business. Here is how you can get help.
30 hours free childcare - Parents of three and four-year-olds can apply for 30 hours free childcare a week.
To qualify you must usually work at least 16 hours a week at the national living or minimum wage and earn less than £100,000 a year.
Tax credits - For children under 20, some families can get help with childcare costs.
Childcare vouchers - If your employer offers childcare vouchers you can get up to £55 a week in tax and national insurance savings.
You pay for your childcare before your tax contributions are taken out.
This scheme is open to new joiners until October 4, 2018, when it is planned that tax-free childcare will replace the vouchers.
Tax-free childcare - Available to working families and the self-employed, for every £8 you put in the government will add an extra £2.
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