Healthy Start Vouchers UK: Who Qualifies, How Much You Get and How It Works
Could You Get £9.30 a Week Through Healthy Start?
The Healthy Start scheme can help eligible pregnant people and families with children under 4 pay for basic foods including milk, fruit, vegetables, pulses and infant formula. If you qualify, money is added to a prepaid Healthy Start card every 4 weeks, with the highest current rate worth £9.30 a week for a child under one. The old paper Healthy Start vouchers no longer exist, although you’ll still see that name used when people search for the scheme.
The amounts have increased since I originally published this guide, so I’ve checked the current rates and application rules against the official NHS Healthy Start information. There have also been changes to who can apply, including a route for some families who can’t claim public funds. If you’ve checked the scheme before and assumed you didn’t qualify, it may be worth looking again.
Who Qualifies for the Healthy Start Scheme?
You may qualify for the Healthy Start scheme if you’re more than 10 weeks pregnant or responsible for a child under 4 and meet the relevant benefit or income rules. The application route depends partly on which benefit you receive. There are also separate provisions for pregnant people under 18 and some families who have no recourse to public funds.
If you receive Universal Credit, the current Healthy Start rules say your family’s monthly take-home pay from employment must be £408 or less. You must also be more than 10 weeks pregnant or have at least one child under 4. The details on your application need to match your Universal Credit claim, including your address and information about your children.
People receiving Pension Credit with the child addition can also apply, although the application is made by phone or email rather than through the standard online route. NHS Healthy Start also states that some people receiving legacy benefits, such as Income Support, remain within the scheme but aren’t included in its digital application figures. If you’re still receiving a legacy benefit, it’s worth contacting Healthy Start directly rather than assuming the Universal Credit online rules are the only route.
Can You Get Healthy Start If You’re Pregnant and Under 18?
Yes. If you’re under 18 and more than 10 weeks pregnant, you can qualify for Healthy Start without receiving a qualifying benefit. This entitlement lasts during the pregnancy, after which the normal eligibility rules apply.
You’ll need to apply by phone or email rather than through the standard Universal Credit online application. Healthy Start currently asks applicants in this situation to call 0300 330 7010 or contact the scheme directly. It’s worth applying once you pass the 10-week point rather than waiting until later in the pregnancy.
What If You Can’t Claim Public Funds?
Some families who can’t claim public funds may now qualify for Healthy Start. The government has extended access to certain British children under 4 whose parent or guardian has no recourse to public funds. This is separate from the main benefit-based route.
To qualify through this extension, you need at least one British child under 4, family take-home pay of £408 or less per month and an immigration status that prevents you from claiming public funds, or no immigration status. This route doesn’t currently cover a pregnancy on its own. Applications are requested by emailing the dedicated Healthy Start NRPF team for an application form.
How Much Do You Get From Healthy Start?
Healthy Start payments are added to the card every 4 weeks, but the rate is calculated weekly. The current NHS Healthy Start payment rates are £4.65 a week during pregnancy from the 10th week, £9.30 a week from birth until a child turns one, and £4.65 a week from age one until the 4th birthday.
That works out as:
Who the payment is for | Weekly amount | Every 4 weeks |
Pregnancy from 10 weeks | £4.65 | £18.60 |
Child from birth to age 1 | £9.30 | £37.20 |
Child aged 1 to 4 | £4.65 | £18.60 |
Payments are calculated separately for each eligible child. For example, a household with a baby under one and another eligible child aged 2 would receive £55.80 every 4 weeks for those two children. The money stops for a child after their 4th birthday, or sooner if the household no longer meets the eligibility conditions.
Is Healthy Start Still Paid as Vouchers?
No. Healthy Start moved away from paper vouchers and now uses a prepaid card, with money automatically added to the Healthy Start card every 4 weeks. The NHS says the old paper voucher scheme ended on the 31st of March 2022.
The phrase “Healthy Start vouchers” is still commonly used when referring to the scheme, which is why you may see it in older guides and searches. If you apply now, you’ll receive the prepaid card rather than vouchers. The card should arrive by post after a successful application, with the first payment already loaded onto it.
What Can You Buy With a Healthy Start Card?
The Healthy Start card can only be used for specified foods. NHS Healthy Start says you can use it for plain liquid cow’s milk, eligible fruit and vegetables, pulses and cow’s milk-based infant formula. The responsibility is on the cardholder to make sure the products meet the scheme rules.
Fruit and vegetables can be fresh, frozen or tinned, whole or chopped, loose or packaged. Tinned fruit can be in fruit juice and vegetables can be in water, but products with added oil, salt, sugar or flavourings aren’t covered. Fresh, dried and tinned lentils, beans, peas and chickpeas can also qualify when they don’t contain those added ingredients.
Plain cow’s milk can be pasteurised, sterilised, long-life or UHT. Flavoured milk, condensed milk, evaporated milk and plant-based alternatives such as oat, almond or soya milk aren’t included. Powdered milk is also excluded unless it is qualifying infant formula.
Infant formula must be based on cow’s milk and labelled as suitable from birth. Follow-on formula labelled for babies from 6 months isn’t covered. The Healthy Start card also can’t be used for baby-food jars or pouches simply because they contain fruit or vegetables.
Where Can You Spend the Healthy Start Card?
You can use the Healthy Start card in most UK shops that sell eligible products and accept Mastercard. Healthy Start lists supermarkets, convenience stores, pharmacies, markets, butcher shops and petrol stations among the places where the card may work. The retailer doesn’t need to register separately with Healthy Start.
The card can’t be used for online shopping, through a phone wallet app, outside the UK, to withdraw cash or to request cashback. You can split a shop between the Healthy Start card and cash or another bank card when you’re buying other items at the same time. At a self-checkout, Healthy Start says a split payment can be made between the card and cash, but not between the Healthy Start card and another bank card.
You’ll need to activate the card before using it. The first transaction requires your PIN, and later purchases can normally be made contactlessly. The NHS also advises checking the balance before shopping because you can’t spend more than the amount available on the card.
How Do You Apply for Healthy Start?
For Universal Credit claimants, the quickest route is normally the official Healthy Start online application. Your Universal Credit details need to be accurate before you apply, particularly your address and the children recorded on your claim. Healthy Start says payments for a new child should begin once the child has been verified and appears on your Universal Credit statement.
The online application asks for information including your name, address, date of birth and National Insurance number. If you’re pregnant, you’ll also need your baby’s due date. Universal Credit applicants should have their statement available as part of the application process.
Some applicants need to use a different route. People receiving Pension Credit with the child addition and pregnant applicants under 18 who aren’t receiving benefits can apply by email or telephone. Families applying through the no-recourse-to-public-funds extension need to request a separate application form.
Is Healthy Start Automatic With Universal Credit?
No. Receiving Universal Credit doesn’t automatically enrol you in Healthy Start. You still need to apply and meet the £408 monthly earned-income threshold, alongside the pregnancy or child-age requirements.
This means it’s worth checking the scheme separately even if you already receive other support. Your Universal Credit award itself doesn’t confirm your Healthy Start entitlement because the scheme looks specifically at take-home pay from employment. If your circumstances change, you can check eligibility again.
What Happens When Your Income Changes?
Healthy Start checks eligibility against benefit-agency information every 4 weeks. The scheme rules say payments can stop if those checks show that you’re no longer eligible. If this happens, Healthy Start says you’ll normally have 16 weeks to spend remaining funds before the card is closed.
If your income later falls and you become eligible again, you can make a new application. Changes involving a new pregnancy or child should also be reported so the correct payment can be added. Universal Credit claimants need the child to be verified on their claim before Healthy Start payments for that child can begin.
Can You Get Free Vitamins Through Healthy Start?
Yes. People receiving Healthy Start can also access free Healthy Start vitamins, with different products for pregnant or breastfeeding adults and young children.
The children’s drops contain vitamins A, C and D. The adult tablets contain folic acid, vitamin C and vitamin D. Children having 500ml or more of formula each day don’t need Healthy Start vitamin drops, according to NHS guidance.
In England and Wales, ask your midwife or health visitor where the vitamins can be collected and take your Healthy Start card with you. In Northern Ireland, successful applicants receive instructions explaining how to request them, after which the vitamins are posted out. Arrangements therefore differ slightly depending on where you live.
Is Healthy Start Available in Scotland?
No. The NHS Healthy Start scheme operates in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, while Scotland has a separate payment called Best Start Foods. Healthy Start itself directs Scottish families to that scheme instead.
The Scottish scheme has different eligibility conditions, payment rates and age limits, so you shouldn’t use the figures in this Healthy Start guide when checking a Scottish claim. If you live in Scotland, check Best Start Foods directly through mygov.scot. That will give you the current Scottish rates and application rules.
What Is the Healthy Start Phone Number?
The Healthy Start customer-service number is 0300 330 7010. Advisers are available from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays. There is also a separate 24-hour automated number, 0118 338 5810, for card activation, PIN information, balances and lost or stolen cards.
You can also use the Healthy Start online contact form for general enquiries. If you’re applying as a pregnant person under 18 or through some non-standard benefit routes, the main customer-service team can explain the correct application process. Keep your client ID somewhere safe once you join the scheme because you may need it when managing your card.
Check Again If You Previously Missed Out
Healthy Start is worth checking whenever your household income or family circumstances change. A new baby, reduced earnings or a move onto an eligible benefit can change the result, while families with certain immigration restrictions now have a separate application route that didn’t previously exist.
The current payment of £9.30 a week for a baby under one adds up to £37.20 every 4 weeks, so overlooking an eligible claim can mean missing useful help with regular food costs.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much are Healthy Start vouchers worth?
Healthy Start no longer uses paper vouchers. The current card pays £4.65 a week during an eligible pregnancy, £9.30 a week for a child under one and £4.65 a week for a child aged 1 to 4.
How much does a baby under one get from Healthy Start?
An eligible child under one currently receives £9.30 a week. That equals £37.20 every 4 weeks, with the money added to the Healthy Start card.
Can I use Healthy Start online?
No. The Healthy Start card can’t currently be used for online shopping or through a phone wallet app. It is designed for in-store purchases at qualifying retailers that accept Mastercard.
Can I buy baby food with Healthy Start?
No. Baby food jars and pouches aren’t among the permitted products. The card covers qualifying milk, infant formula, fruit, vegetables and pulses.
Does Healthy Start cover plant-based milk?
No. The scheme covers plain liquid cow’s milk but not plant-based alternatives such as oat, almond or soya milk. Qualifying infant formula must also be based on cow’s milk and labelled suitable from birth.
Is Healthy Start automatic if I receive Universal Credit?
No. You need to apply for Healthy Start even if you receive Universal Credit. Your family’s take-home pay from employment must also meet the scheme’s current threshold.
Can I get Healthy Start for more than one child?
Yes, if more than one child in your household is eligible. The amount is calculated according to each child’s age, so a baby under one currently attracts a higher payment than a child aged between 1 and 4.
Is Healthy Start available in Scotland?
No. Scotland uses Best Start Foods instead of the NHS Healthy Start scheme. The Scottish payment has its own eligibility rules and rates.
What is the Healthy Start phone number?
The main Healthy Start customer-service number is 0300 330 7010. It is currently open Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm, excluding public holidays.
