You may be entitled to free milk and/or formula milk for your child
If you receive only Child Tax Credit and your family income is £13,230 or less (2003/4) you will be sent milk tokens. You do not need to make a claim for this benefit—as long as your tax credit record is correct, they will automatically be sent to you if you qualify. This means:
- one token for a pint of milk per day for a child aged one to four years of age. These tokens can be exchanged at registered retailers or milkmen
- or, for babies under one year old, a token that can be used for either a pint of milk a day for breastfed babies (the mother should drink the milk herself) or, for babies that are not breastfed, a token for one 900g tin of infant formula each week can be exchanged at NHS clinics or appointed Welfare Food Distribution Centres (WFDC) (ask your health visitor for more information)
If you receive Income Support, income-based Jobseekers Allowance or Pension Credit guarantee credit you get tokens while you are pregnant. You need to report the pregnancy to your benefit office who will send you tokens during this period.
Vitamins are also available free of charge for pregnant women and their children (ask your health visitor)
A pint of milk a day is available for children aged 5 to 16 who are not registered pupils at a school because of a disability. Milk tokens are available on application.
One tin of infant formula is available each week at a fixed price for families with children under one year old, for families who receive Working Tax Credit and have a family income of £14,200 or less. These are sold in NHS clinics or appointed WFDC’s.
Non-means-tested elements for all families
One-third of a pint of milk each day is available for children under five years old attending nursery or day care. Day care workers can apply for reimbursement.
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