More than £1.3bn paid out under Scottish Child Payment, figures show

Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville hailed the “positive impact” of a benefit brought in to help low-income families, as figures showed more than £1.3 billion has been paid out via the Scottish Child Payment.

Data from Social Security Scotland, the body which administers the benefit, showed that as of September 30 2025 more than 8.6 million payments have been made to a total of 241,055 individuals.

And a total of 322,230 children across the country were said to be “actively benefitting” from it as of this time.

This includes 52,985 children in the Glasgow City Council area, as well as 24,720 youngsters in North Lanarkshire and 24,270 children in Fife.

The figures come after the benefit, which pays out £26.70 a week for every eligible child, was introduced in Scotland in February 2021.

So far, in 2025-26, a total of £231 million has been paid out, including £37.8 million to families in the Glasgow City area, £17.7 million to families in North Lanarkshire and £17.5 million to families in Fife.

While the Social Justice Secretary recognised the benefit that the payment – which is not available in other parts of the UK – has had, she stressed there is “still much more to do” to tackle child poverty.

Ms Somerville said: “Eradicating child poverty is the Scottish Government’s top priority and a national mission.

“This support is helping parents and carers with the essential costs of raising children and is contributing to lowering child poverty rates in Scotland compared with the rest of the UK.

“That progress is the result of our decision to invest in measures that directly support household budgets and improve the wellbeing of children.”

She continued: “While we should recognise the positive impact this is having for thousands of families, we know there is still much more to do.

“One child in poverty is one too many, and we remain firmly committed to doing everything we can to support families and give every child the best possible start in life.

“Scottish Child Payment continues to be a central part of that mission, and these figures demonstrate why this support is so important to communities across Scotland.”