Free prescriptions and dental care (everyone)
Anyone who's pregnant in England gets free NHS prescriptions and dental care, during pregnancy and for 12 months after the birth, whatever your income. Ask your midwife or GP to apply for your maternity exemption certificate.
Maternity Allowance
If you can't get Statutory Maternity Pay (because you're self-employed, recently stopped work, or haven't worked for your employer long enough), you may get Maternity Allowance instead:
- Up to £194.32 a week (or 90% of your average earnings if lower) for up to 39 weeks.
- You usually need to have worked for at least 26 of the 66 weeks before your due date, earning at least £30 a week in 13 of them. Self-employed work counts.
- If you helped your spouse or civil partner's business without being paid, you may get £27 a week for 14 weeks.
- Claim from 26 weeks pregnant on form MA1. Claim within 3 months of when you want it to start, or you'll lose some of it.
Universal Credit with a new baby
- Report the birth in your Universal Credit journal as soon as you can.
- You get £303.94 a month for each child in 2026/27 (an extra £47.94 for a first child born before 6 April 2017).
- The two-child limit was removed from 6 April 2026, so third and later children now count too.
- You won't be asked to look for work from 11 weeks before your due week, and the main carer of a child under 1 has no work requirements.
- If you go back to work, Universal Credit can pay up to 85% of childcare costs, up to £1,071.09 a month for one child or £1,836.16 for two or more.
- A Budgeting Advance can help with one-off costs like a cot or pram: up to £812 if you have children. You pay it back from your Universal Credit, usually over 24 months.
Healthy Start
Money on a card for milk, fruit, vegetables, pulses and infant formula, plus free vitamins. You can get it from 10 weeks pregnant or with a child under 4 if you get Universal Credit with family take-home pay of £408 a month or less (or Pension Credit with a child addition). Anyone pregnant and under 18 qualifies too.
| Who | Healthy Start (2026/27) |
|---|---|
| Pregnant (from 10 weeks) | £4.65 a week |
| Baby under 1 | £9.30 a week |
| Child aged 1 to 4 | £4.65 a week |
Sure Start Maternity Grant: £500
A one-off payment if you get Universal Credit (or certain other benefits) and it's your first child, or a multiple birth. Claim from 11 weeks before your due week until 6 months after the birth. See grants for new parents.
Childcare and school
- Age 2: 15 free hours a week if you get Universal Credit with household take-home income of £15,400 a year or less, or certain other benefits. See when free childcare starts.
- School: all Reception to Year 2 children get free lunches. From September 2026, every child in a Universal Credit household can get free school meals. Still apply through your council, because it also gets your child's school extra funding.
Other help
- Child Benefit: claim it even if you're not working. It gives you National Insurance credits towards your State Pension.
- Council Tax Reduction: run by your council if you're on a low income.
- NHS Low Income Scheme: help with health costs if you have savings under £16,000.
- Travel to hospital: the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme can refund travel to NHS appointments if you're on Universal Credit with low take-home pay.
Not sure what you're entitled to? A free benefits calculator on GOV.UK or advice from Citizens Advice can check everything at once.
Ready to go?
Read everything above? Here are the official pages to apply:
Apply for Healthy Start (NHS) (opens in a new tab) Claim Maternity Allowance on GOV.UK (opens in a new tab) Universal Credit with children on GOV.UK (opens in a new tab)
Want the exact dates for your baby? Get your personal timeline: enter your due date or birthday and see every deadline in order.
Sources: GOV.UK: Maternity Allowance, GOV.UK: Universal Credit if you have children, Universal Credit (Removal of Two Child Limit) Act 2026, NHS Healthy Start, NHSBSA: maternity exemption, Department for Education: free school meals, GOV.UK: Budgeting Advance, NHS Low Income Scheme, NHS: travel costs. Checked 28 October 2026.