Healthy Start Vouchers

Healthy Start is an NHS scheme operating in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland — Scotland has its own equivalent called Best Start Foods. The scheme provides a prepaid Mastercard that is loaded with money every four weeks to help low-income families afford nutritious food and vitamins during pregnancy and early childhood.

The scheme replaced paper vouchers entirely in 2021. The card works wherever the NHS Healthy Start logo is displayed — this includes most major supermarkets such as Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Morrisons, Waitrose, Lidl, Aldi, and Co-op, but not every shop that accepts standard Mastercard. If a retailer has not registered with the scheme, the card will be declined even if they otherwise take Mastercard payments.

Payment amounts are: £4.25 per week for pregnant women; £8.50 per week for families with a baby under one year old; and £4.25 per week per qualifying child for families with children aged one to four. Because payments load every four weeks, you will receive a lump sum of four weeks' entitlement at once rather than a weekly top-up. Money that is not spent expires after 16 weeks, so it is important to use your balance regularly.

In addition to the card, free Healthy Start vitamins are available from participating health centres, Children's Centres, and some pharmacies. These include folic acid and vitamin D tablets for pregnant women and women with babies under one, and vitamin drops containing vitamins A, C, and D for children from birth up to age four.

To qualify for Healthy Start you must meet both a pregnancy or child criterion and a benefit or age criterion.

Pregnancy or child criterion — you must be:

• At least 10 weeks pregnant, or
• Have a child under four years old

Benefit criterion — your household must receive one of:

• Universal Credit (UC) — your household must have no earned income, or your household earnings must be below the relevant UC threshold set by DWP. If you have earned income within UC, check current thresholds on the NHS website as they are reviewed periodically.
• Child Tax Credit (CTC) — only where you are not also receiving Working Tax Credit, and your household income is below £16,190 per year.
• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA)
• Pension Credit — if you have responsibility for a child under four.

Automatic eligibility: If you are under 18 and pregnant, you qualify for Healthy Start automatically, regardless of whether you receive any qualifying benefit. This provision specifically supports young parents who may not yet be claiming benefits in their own right.

If your circumstances change — for example, your income rises above the UC threshold or you stop receiving a qualifying benefit — your eligibility may end. You are responsible for telling the Healthy Start helpline if you no longer qualify. Continuing to use the card when ineligible is treated as an overpayment that must be repaid.

The Healthy Start card can only be used to purchase a defined list of items. Attempting to buy ineligible products will cause the transaction to be declined — even at a registered retailer. Eligible items are:

• Plain cow's milk — fresh, UHT long-life, or powdered. It must be plain cow's milk. Flavoured milk, oat milk, almond milk, soy milk, and all other dairy alternatives are not eligible.
• First-stage infant formula — for babies from birth. Follow-on formula for babies over six months is not covered by the scheme.
• Fresh, frozen, tinned, or dried fruit and vegetables — without added salt, sugar, syrup, or sauce. All standard fruit and vegetables in their natural form are included. Dried fruit is also eligible. Items with seasonings, sauces, or added ingredients are not.
• Fresh, frozen, tinned, or dried pulses — lentils, chickpeas, kidney beans, butter beans, split peas, and all other pulses without added ingredients.

You cannot use the card for fruit juice, smoothies, ready meals, meal kits, baby food pouches, non-food items, alcohol, or tobacco. The card also cannot be used at market stalls, cash machines, or online unless the retailer is specifically registered with the scheme for online purchases.

If you are unsure whether a retailer accepts the card, look for the NHS Healthy Start logo at the checkout or on the door. You can also search the registered retailer list at healthystart.nhs.uk.

You apply for Healthy Start online at healthystart.nhs.uk. The application takes around ten minutes and you will need:

• Your full name and address
• Your NHS number (optional — the application can proceed without it)
• Your due date (if pregnant) or your child's date of birth
• Details of the qualifying benefit you receive
• Contact details for your midwife or health visitor (for pregnant women)

Your application is verified automatically against DWP and HMRC benefit records. Once approved, your Healthy Start card will be posted to you and should arrive within four to six weeks. The card arrives preloaded with your first four weeks of entitlement.

Some maternity units and children's centres will auto-enrol eligible families — ask your midwife or health visitor whether this applies at your unit. If you have not been auto-enrolled and believe you qualify, apply online yourself without waiting to be referred.

If you need help applying — for example, because you do not have internet access — call the Healthy Start helpline on 0300 330 7010 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm). Your midwife or health visitor can also assist. There is no need to reapply as long as you remain eligible. If your circumstances change — for example, you have another baby — contact the helpline to update your details so the correct amount is loaded onto your card. If you move house, also notify the helpline so your card is sent to the correct address.