Social Security Scotland
type: Organization
contact point: ContactPoint
  contact type: customer service

Scottish Child Payment: Applications and Payments
type: Dataset
accuracy: 1) Rounding and disclosure control Application and outcome figures have been rounded to the nearest five for disclosure control. Data has been suppressed where it would disclose fewer than five applications or payments. 2) Missing and duplicate applications The data comes from 100% data cut of the case management system. The data cut was checked for applications where the field relating to application date was blank. These applications represent temporary 'prospect cases', which are created when clients contact Social Security Scotland without a National Insurance number, and are later replaced once a National Insurance number is received from the applicant. Any such applications are therefore duplicates and are excluded from the statistics. 3) Incorrect application dates Quality assurance checks highlighted that a small number of cases (50) had an application date prior to the benefit opening for applications on 9 November 2020. These cases were confirmed by operational colleagues to be genuine applications with an application date entered in error. For the purpose of this publication these cases have been reported as having been received in the month of November 2020. 4) Authorisation and Payment To manage the anticipated demand, Scottish Child Payment opened for applications from 9 November 2020, ahead of its official launch on 15 February 2021. Anyone applying for Scottish Child Payment in this application window was made aware that they would not receive a decision until after 15 February 2021, and that the first payments would be made to clients from the end of February 2021 onwards. Throughout the application window, client advisors began processing applications subject to an eligibility check on 15 February. The outcomes of all applications processed during this time were temporary and subject to change until the benefit officially launched and a final check was carried out to establish the entitlement for each case. If a client advisor assessed an applicati…
comment: Applications received and processed, and number and total value of payments issued for Scottish Child Payment
completeness: Further information on application, processing times, re-determinations and appeals can be found in the associated [publication](https://www.socialsecurity.gov.scot/publications/2026/02/scottish-child-payment-to-31-march-2026).
confidentiality: Figures have been rounded to the nearest five for statistical disclosure control. Data has been suppressed where it would disclose figures that are fewer than five. Any cell in this dataset which is blank contains suppressed data. Therefore, caution should be exercised if summary data is calculated; it may include blank cells in which it will not be a true representation of geographical area totals.
consistency: The Scottish Child Payment is the first benefit of its kind in the UK, therefore there are no comparable statistics.
geographical coverage: S12
geographical coverage: S92
license id: uk-ogl
next update: 2026-11-01
quality management: The data used to produce these statistics are extracted from the Social Security case management system. Extracts from this system are also used on a daily basis for internal reporting within Social Security Scotland. As such, the data is checked daily for consistency with previous extracts (i.e. do applications, decisions and payments figures increase as expected over time, and are they in proportion to each other) and compared to other sources of information such as the number of payment instructions reported by the finance team. Quality assurance and cleaning has been carried out on the variables used in the official statistics: * Checking for duplicate and missing application references * Checking application dates, processing times and payment times are within the expected ranges * Check applicant dates of birth are within the expected range * Check that payment date is present where a payment value is present * Checking postcodes that do not match to local authorities Once the data is aggregated and copied into the publication and supporting Excel tables, the final statistics are quality assured by a different member of the statistics team. The geographical area (i.e. Council Areas ) for this dataset is based on applicants or clients' postcode information. Some postcode information cannot be matched to a Scottish geographical area because their postcode is not on the [Scottish Statistics Postcode Lookup](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/publications/scottish-statistics-postcode-lookup-20252/) file used to match postcode to geographical area. This can be because some applications did not include correct postcode information, or the postcode was too new to be on the postcode lookup file. Consequently, those applications and/or payments with unknown geographical area are excluded from this dataset. Postcodes are linked to client profiles and data extracts are automatically updated in the case of a client changing address. As a result, postcodes reflect the latest ad…
reference period: PeriodOfTime
  end date: 2026-06-01T00:00:00
  start date: 2020-11-01T00:00:00
timeliness: These statistics are updated every 3 months. These updates coincide with our quarterly publications on Scottish Child Payment. These can be found at the [Social Security Scotland website](https://www.socialsecurity.gov.scot/archived-publications). Data are collected, validated and published in as timely a manner as possible in accordance with the Statistics Code of Practice. Data are published quarterly and can be found on the Social Security Scotland website.
uniqueness: Not assessed
update frequency: quarterly
validity: Scottish Child Payment was introduced through secondary legislation, using the powers to top up a reserved benefit contained in section 79 of the Social Security Scotland Act 2018. Social Security Scotland - the executive agency of Scottish Government responsible for delivering social security benefits for Scotland - began taking applications for Scottish Child Payment on 9 November 2020, following an announcement by the then Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and Older People that the benefit would be open for applications in advance of its official launch on 15 February 2021 to help manage the expected demand.
will be updated: true
contact point: ContactPoint
date modified: 2026-08-25T13:38:06.975603
date published: 2026-08-13T15:54:43.454811
description: Scottish Child Payment has been introduced for low-income families with children aged under 6. It is intended to provide regular, additional financial support for families already in receipt of qualifying benefits to assist with the costs of caring for a child. Social Security Scotland invited clients to apply from 9 November 2020 in advance of the benefit being launched on 15 February 2021 to help manage the expected demand. Applicants began to receive a decision from 15 February onwards, with the first payments made to clients from the end of February 2021. Scottish Child Payment was extended to older children aged under 16 on 14 November 2022. This dataset includes received applications, authorised applications and issued payments for Scottish Child Benefit. Statistics are provided for the last day of the month (e.g. figures for 2020-11 are for applications received or authorised as of 30 November 2020) and the financial year (e.g. figures for 2020/2021 are for applications received or authorised in between April 2020 and March 2021). Further information on application, processing times, re-determinations and appeals can be found in the associated [publication](https://www.socialsecurity.gov.scot/publications/2026/02/scottish-child-payment-to-31-march-2026).
included in data catalog: CKAN
keywords: Economic Activity, Benefits and Tax Credits
license: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

https://admin.data.gov.scot/dataset/c402f134-fe24-480c-8059-e4953ffb4304/resource/acb4e4ed-f6ae-4fea-b4bb-26a63db7ee1c
type: DataDownload
comment: Applications received and processed, and number and total value of payments issued for Scottish Child Payment
dictionary: Column
  column: GeographyType
  type: text
dictionary: Column
  column: Measurement
  type: text
dictionary: Column
  column: GeographyName
  type: text
dictionary: Column
  column: Value
  type: int
dictionary: Column
  column: DateCode
  type: text
dictionary: Column
  column: GeographyCode
  type: text
dictionary: Column
  column: Scottish Child Payment Indicator
  type: text
dictionary: Column
  column: Units
  type: text
description: Data file for Scottish Child Payment: Applications and Payments
encoding format: CSV