Job Start Payment

You can apply for Job Start Payment to help you with the costs of starting a new job.

You can apply if you're a young person or care leaver who's both:

• been out of work
• on certain benefits

You also need to meet the other requirements explained in the 'Who can apply' section.

You can get a one-off payment of either:

• £267.65
• £428.25 – if you're the main carer of any children

Applying as a young person:

To apply for Job Start Payment as a young person, you must:

• be aged between 16 to 24 years old on the date you got the job offer
• have been out of paid work on the date you got the job offer
• have got one of these benefits for at least 6 months on the date you got the job offer
• have got a job offer in the last 3 months
• have been living in Scotland on the day you got the job offer
• not have got Job Start Payment in the last 2 years

Applying as a care leaver To apply for Job Start Payment as a care leaver, you must:

• be aged between 16 to 25 years old on the date you got the job offer
• have been out of paid work on the date you got the job offer
• have got one of these benefits on the date you got the job offer
• have got a job offer in the last 3 months
• have been living in Scotland on the day you got the job offer
• not have got Job Start Payment in the last 2 years

What you can spend the payment on The purpose of this payment is to help you with the costs of starting a new job.

You could use it for things like:

• travel costs, such as a bus or train pass
• lunches
• new clothes or a uniform
• childcare

You’ll get this money in one payment. If you need to, you can spend it on things that might cost more, like a travel pass

You can apply for Job Start Payment as: • a young person • a care leaver

You’re a care leaver if you've spent time in care but stopped being looked after on, or after, your 16th birthday. This could have been in either a foster, residential, secure or formal kinship care placement.