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 can get a one-off payment of either: £252.50. £404 – if you're the main carer of any children.

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.

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.

If your application is successful you'll get £252.50, or a higher payment of £404 if you're the main carer of any children. This will come in one payment and you do not need to pay this money back.

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 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.