Parents and mums-to-be can claim up to £8.50 a week to help towards the cost of food through the Healthy Start voucher scheme.
The vouchers are designed to help with the cost of healthy foods, such as fruit and vegetables, and can also be redeemed against milk, formula for babies and vitamins.
To be eligible for the extra help, you have to claim certain benefits, and either be pregnant or have a child under the age of four.
If you have a child under the age of one, you could get two vouchers a week.
The value of each voucher was boosted from £3.10 last month to £4.25 - so if you’re eligible for two vouchers per week, that means you could claim £8.50 to put towards healthy foods.
But some supermarkets are currently topping up the value of the vouchers, meaning you’ll get more for your money if you shop with them - we explain below.
Who is eligible for Healthy Start vouchers?
Those that claim the following benefits could be entitled to the vouchers:
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Child Tax Credit (only if your family’s annual income is £16,190 or less)
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Income Support
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Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
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Pension Credit (which includes the child addition)
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Universal Credit (only if your family’s take-home pay is £408 or less per month from employment)
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Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (but only if you are over 10 weeks pregnant)
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Working Tax Credit run-on (this is the Working Tax Credit you receive in the 4 weeks immediately after you have stopped working for 16 hours or more per week)
Or, if you’re under 18 and more than 10 weeks pregnant, you’ll get Healthy Start vouchers until your baby is born regardless of whether you claim benefits or not.
Families in Scotland aren't eligible for Healthy Start and must apply for help through Best Start Foods instead.
What can I buy with the vouchers and where can they be used?
Only certain products can be bought with the Healthy Start vouchers, including:
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Cow’s milk
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Fresh, frozen or tinned fruit and vegetables
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Infant formula milk
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Fresh, dried, and tinned pulses
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Free vitamins
You also need to check where they can be spent, as not all stores accept the Healthy Start vouchers.
Some of the most well-known retailers that accept them include Aldi, Lidl, Asda, Morrisons, Tesco and Sainsbury's.
You can find your nearest shops that accept them using the Healthy Start tool on its website .
How do I get the vouchers?
If you’re eligible for the vouchers, you’ll need to print off and fill in the following application form from the Healthy Start website .
Once you’ve filled out all your details, send it to:
Freepost RRTR-SYAE-JKCR, Healthy Start Issuing Unit, PO Box 1067, Warrington, WA55 1EG
Alternatively, you can call the Healthy Start helpline on 0345 607 6823 and they’ll send a form out to you, which you’ll then need to post back.
Vouchers are sent out every four weeks.
Can I boost the value of the Healthy Start vouchers?
Yes, some stores are currently topping up the value of these vouchers but it’s not clear if this will be an ongoing process.
Waitrose has been adding an extra £1.50 to Healthy Start vouchers since February 2021, two months before the increase came into play.
It means if you shop at Waitrose, one voucher will be worth £5.75 instead of £4.25 - or £11.50 instead of £8.50 if you’re entitled to two.
The Co-op is also continuing to top up the value of the vouchers by £1, which it first introduced in December 2020.
So if you shop at The Co-op, your voucher is worth £5.25 instead of £4.25 - or £10.50 instead of £8.50.
Again, both supermarkets haven’t said if there is an end date to these extra amounts so keep in mind they could be pulled at any time.
