Exploring the minimum income guarantee in Scotland
/This article was featured in the SCDC Weekly - 4th February 2026
What would Scotland look like if everyone had enough money to live a good life? A minimum income guarantee is emerging as a response to that question, and Scotland's persistent poverty and inequality crisis.
The poverty rate in Scotland currently sits at 20%, lower than the rest of the UK due to specific measures, but ones that anti-poverty organisations have said aren't enough to meet legal targets.
A minimum income guarantee would set a level of income below which nobody in Scotland would be allowed to fall, with a foundation of good jobs that pay the bills, investment in public services, and a strengthened social security system that protects against poverty.
Last year, the Minimum Income Guarantee Expert Group set out the roadmap for delivery of this policy, including a series of concrete steps towards implementation that could happen now, and would make a positive impact on people’s lives.
Taking steps towards implementing the guarantee is the overarching ask in The Poverty Alliance’s 2026 manifesto, where they urge political parties to lay the foundations of the policy through multi-year pilots and other key measures.
"Taken together," they conclude, "the actions that make up a Minimum Income Guarantee have the potential to transform our society."
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