Raising children can be expensive, but there is financial support available to help your child both at home and school.
If you are a parent or carer, you are entitled to get child benefit for each child. You and your child might be eligible for other benefits if they have an additional need or disability. Schools can offer free school meals and can access extra funding to support the children that need it most, so it’s a good idea to find out what is available to help your child.
If your child has a disability or condition that makes it difficult for you to look after them, you may be able to claim disability living allowance (DLA). The amount of money you receive will depend on the extra help your child needs. If you spend more than 35 hours a week caring for a child with a disability, you may also be able to claim a carers allowance.
Money helper has more advice on disability benefits and entitlements for children.
If your child has an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) at school or nursery, this provides the school with the funding they need to meet your child’s needs at school, such as paying for special equipment or therapy. Your child’s EHCP will set out what support should be provided with these funds.
All infants in government funded schools in England are entitled to free school meals. If your child is in year 3 or above, they should also qualify for free school meals if you are on certain benefits. Find out if you qualify and apply for free school meals in England.
In Wales, your child can get free school meals if you are on benefits. The Welsh government is also rolling out a plan for all primary school children in Wales to get free school meals.
Families in Scotland who receive benefits can get free school meals and all children in early learning or childcare get free school meals. Find out more about school meals in Scotland.
In Northern Ireland, eligible children can receive free school meals and grants for school uniforms.
Your local authority might also run a Holiday Activities and Food programme (HAF) to offer food and activities for your child during the school holidays.
The pupil premium is a grant paid to schools to help support disadvantaged children. This includes:
It’s up to the school to decide how they use the pupil premium to support your child and other vulnerable children. You can ask the school how they use the pupil premium, it could help to pay for things like:
It’s worth checking what special offers and discounts are available in your local area for vulnerable children. Some local authorities have their own discount cards for local attractions.
The Max Card is a UK wide discount card for families of looked-after children and children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Find out where to get a Max Card and where you can use it.
If you get Disability Living Allowance, you could also get extra help with travel, for example a blue badge, bus pass or a Motability vehicle.
If you want more advice about the costs of raising your child, you can speak to one of our parenting coaches.
This advice was written by our experienced Parent Talk coaches. Parent Talk is a free online service for parents and carers, provided by the charity Action for Children. For more advice, message our parenting coaches with our online chat.
