A BENEFIT you’ve likely never heard of could give you up to £442 to spend on your weekly shop.
Healthy Start vouchers help parents on a low income claim money towards their food shopping.
The vouchers are available to those who receive Universal Credit and are pregnant or have young children.
But recent figures show around 207,000 parents across England, Wales and Northern Ireland are missing out on the scheme every year.
The scheme was moved to a digital system last year and has been plagued by IT problems since, which has caused issues with take-up.
Emma Lewell-Buck, a Labour MP, introduced a law into Parliament last month urging the government to automatically register eligible families for the scheme to stop them missing out.
It’s not guaranteed that the law will pass, however, as it needs government support.
What are Healthy Start vouchers?
Healthy Start vouchers are for parents who are pregnant or have a child under four years old.
The vouchers are worth £4.25 a week, or £221 a year.
But those with a child under the age of one get two vouchers – so £8.50 a week – which adds up to £442 a year.
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The vouchers can only be used to buy the following:
- Cow’s milk
- Fresh, frozen and tinned fruit and veg
- Fresh, dried and tinned pulses, such as beans and lentils
- Infant formula milk
You can also get free Healthy Start vitamins with the vouchers.
There used to be paper vouchers, but now the money is loaded onto a prepaid card that can be used at any location where Mastercard is accepted.
This includes:
- Supermarkets
- Convenience stores
- Drug stores and pharmacies
- Market stalls
- Dairy products stores
- Butcher shops
- Petrol stations
You can’t use the prepaid card for online shopping or to withdraw money from a cash machine, but you can check your balance at an ATM.
How do I claim the vouchers?
To be eligible for Healthy Start vouchers, you need to be at least 10 weeks pregnant or have at least one child under four.
Your family’s monthly take-home pay from work must also be less than £408 a week and you need to receive Universal Credit.
If you receive Child Tax Credit you may still be able to apply, for example if your family’s annual income is less than £16,190 or you do not receive Working Tax Credit.
If you’re under 18 and pregnant you can claim the vouchers until the baby is born, even if you do not receive any benefits.
To apply, you can use the government website, print out a paper form from the Healthy Start website or request a form from your GP or midwife.
There’s also an option to request a form by calling the Healthy Start helpline on 0345 607 6823.
Once you’ve applied online, you should receive your card within five to 10 working days.
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