Healthy Start Vitamins Finder 2026/27

Check if you qualify for free Healthy Start vitamins for pregnancy, babies & kids under 4. Plus £4.25/week food vouchers.

Healthy Start Vitamins Finder 2026/27 — Free Vitamins & £4.25/Week Food Vouchers

Pregnant or have kids under 4? The Healthy Start Vitamins Finder checks if you qualify for free NHS vitamins plus £4.25 per week — £8.50 for babies under 1. That’s £221-£442/year for milk, fruit, veg and vitamins. Over 500,000 families miss out.

What Is Healthy Start?

Healthy Start is an NHS scheme that gives pregnant women and families with children under 4 two things:

1. Prepaid card vouchers — £4.25/week if pregnant or child 1-3, £8.50/week if baby under 1. Spend on milk, infant formula, fresh/frozen fruit and veg, pulses.
2. Free vitamins — Women’s tablets with folic acid, vitamin C, vitamin D. Children’s drops with vitamins A, C, D from birth to age 4.

The Healthy Start Vitamins Finder tool checks your circumstances against 2026/27 NHS rules and tells you instantly if you qualify. No need to guess — 1 in 3 eligible families don’t claim.

Who Qualifies? Use Healthy Start Vitamins Finder to Check

You qualify for Healthy Start if you’re at least 10 weeks pregnant OR have a child under 4, AND one of these:

1. You’re Under 18

All pregnant women under 18 qualify automatically. No benefits needed. Use the Healthy Start Vitamins Finder and select “under 18” — you’ll get £4.25/week while pregnant, then £8.50/week after baby is born until they turn 1.

2. You’re 18+ and Get Benefits

You qualify if you or your partner get:

• Universal Credit — household take-home pay £408 or less per month in last assessment period
• Child Tax Credit — household income £16,190/year or less, and not getting Working Tax Credit
• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Pension Credit — if you’re pregnant

What Healthy Start Vitamins Do You Get?

The Healthy Start Vitamins Finder confirms which vitamins you get based on your situation:

Women’s Vitamins — For Pregnancy

• Folic acid 400mcg — Reduces risk of neural tube defects. Take before conception and first 12 weeks
• Vitamin C 70mg — Helps iron absorption
• Vitamin D 10mcg — Bone health for you and baby. NHS recommends all pregnant women take vitamin D

One tablet daily from 10 weeks pregnant until baby is 1 year old.

Children’s Vitamin Drops — Birth to Age 4

• Vitamin A 233mcg — Immune system, vision
• Vitamin C 20mg — Helps absorb iron, wound healing
• Vitamin D 10mcg — Strong bones, teeth. NHS recommends all children 1-4 take vitamin D daily

5 drops daily. Breastfed babies from birth. Formula-fed babies only if drinking less than 500ml formula per day, as formula already has vitamins.

How to Claim After Using Healthy Start Vitamins Finder

1. Use Healthy Start Vitamins Finder — Confirm you qualify based on 2026/27 rules
2. Apply online — healthystart.nhs.uk or call 0345 607 6823. Takes 5 minutes
3. Have ready — NI number, baby’s due date or birth certificate, benefit award letters
4. Get prepaid card — Posted in 5-10 days. £4.25/£8.50 loaded every 4 weeks
5. Collect vitamins — Show card at pharmacies, children’s centres, health visitors, midwife clinics. Find locations at healthystart.nhs.uk

Backdating: You can claim up to 4 weeks back if you were eligible. Call 0345 607 6823 to ask.

Healthy Start Vitamins Finder FAQs 2026/27