Scottish Child Payment
Scottish Government benefit paid every four weeks for each child under 16 in low-income families.
Holyrood passed Michael Marra's amendment on 22 September 2026 making child poverty "an immediate national priority" and praising the Scottish Child Payment, which reached 321,885 children as of March 2026.
Last refreshed: 7 October 2026
Timeline for Scottish Child Payment
Mentioned in: Marra's MSPs vote for right to decide
UK Local Elections 2026Background
The Scottish Child Payment is a devolved benefit run by the Scottish Government for families on low incomes. It is set as a weekly rate for each eligible child under 16 and paid every four weeks.
For 2026-27 the rate is £28.20 a week per child, up from £27.15 the year before. Social Security Scotland reported 321,885 children receiving it as of March 2026.
The payment is the Scottish Government's main cash tool against child poverty and is closely tied to the 2030 targets in the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017, which Holyrood reaffirmed in September 2026. A planned premium of £40 a week for children under one, from 2027-28, would be the next step if consultation and Parliament approve it.
Holyrood recommitted to the 2030 target
Scottish Labour attached its child-poverty demands to John Swinney's right-to-decide motion before voting for it on 22 September 2026. The amendment named child poverty an immediate national priority, restated the 2030 target in the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 and commended the payment by name.
That puts the payment's level at the centre of the next budget round. The Scottish Government already intends, subject to consultation and parliamentary approval, a premium lifting it to £40 a week for children under one from 2027-28. With the statutory 2030 target now reaffirmed by Parliament, the 2027-28 Scottish budget is where that priority gets a price.