PARENTS with young children may qualify for help to get free milk from supermarkets and other shops under a government scheme.
The offer comes through the Healthy Start scheme.
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It gives people who are more than 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under four money to help them buy healthy food and milk.
The Healthy Start scheme is in place to help people on lower incomes afford the basics, and to qualify, you usually have to be receiving another kind of benefit such as Universal Credit or income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance.
Below, we explain who is eligible for the scheme and how much you will get.
Who is eligible for the scheme?
In order to receive the Healthy Start money, you must get any of the following:
- Child Tax Credit (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
How do I access the money?
Healthy Start used to be given out in paper vouchers, but has now moved onto a prepaid card.
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You can use the card in most places where food is sold, including supermarkets, convenience stores, pharmacies, markets, butchers shops and petrol stations.
If you’re eligible, you’ll be sent a Healthy Start card with money on it that you can use when you pay.
Your money will be added onto the card every four weeks.
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, or if you no longer receive benefits.
What can I buy with it?
You can use your card to buy plain cow’s milk or baby formula milk, and it can also be used to buy fresh, frozen, and tinned fruit and vegetables, as well as fresh, dried, and tinned pulses.
You can also use the card to get free vitamin supplements. These are tablets for women and drops for children.
How do I apply?
You can apply online by visiting the NHS Healthy Start website.
If you can’t apply online, or you need help applying, you can contact NHS Healthy Start on 0300 330 7010 or by emailing [email protected]
To apply, you will need your:
- name
- address
- date of birth
- National Insurance number
- baby’s due date (if you’re pregnant)
- benefit award letter if you’re over 18
If you already receive the vouchers, you need to sign up for the prepaid card system.
