Child Benefit: are you eligible and how to claim
Polly Logan-Banks
Content EditorChild Benefit is a payment that you can claim if you’re responsible for a child under the age of 16 (or under 20 if they're in full-time education or training). A family with two children could claim more than £2,000 a year ... find out if you're entitled to claim plus all you need to know here.
Everyone who's responsible for a child is entitled to Child Benefit. It's important to know how to claim.
You can claim as soon as your child's birth is registered. It's best to apply before they're 12 weeks old. This is because payments can only be backdated by three months, so you don't want to miss out.
While it's usually tax-free, if you or your partner earns over £50,000 a year, you may have to pay a tax charge on what you get.
Who can claim Child Benefit?
Everyone can claim Child Benefit, regardless of income or savings.
One person can claim for every child who is:
- under 16
- under 20 if they’re in approved full-time education or training
You don’t have to be one of their parents, but you do have to be contributing towards their upkeep. You can claim if you're fostering or adopting. There's no limit to the number of children you can claim for.
Only one person can claim for each child. If you and your child's other parent aren't together, you'll need to decide between you who gets it, but it's usually the parent that the child lives with most of the time. If you can't decide, you can both make a claim and HMRC will decide which person gets it.
How much is Child Benefit?
The Child Benefit rates up to early April 2024 are:
- £24 per week for your first child
- £15.90 per week, per child for any further children
From early April 2024, the rates will rise to:
- £25.60 per week for your first child
- £16.95 per week, per child for any further children
Based on the figures from April 2024 onwards, that’s just over £1,330 a year if you have one child and an extra £881 a year each for any subsequent children.
The money is paid directly into your bank account every four weeks. If you're a single parent or receiving certain benefits, you can ask to have it paid weekly instead.
If your family is split, with one child living with you and another with another person, you can both claim the full £25.60. If either of you has any other children, you'll get £16.95 for each additional child.
If your family is combined, with children from both partners living under one roof, the eldest child will qualify for £25.60, and any other children for £16.95 each.
Here's exactly how much Child Benefit you'll get from April 2024, depending on how many children you're claiming for:
- One child: £25.60 a week, or £1,331.20 a year
- Two children: £42.55 a week, or £2,212.60 a year
- Three children: £59.50 a week, or £3,094 a year
- Four children: £76.45 a week, or £3,975.40 a year
- Five children: £93.40 a week, or £4,856.80 a year
How to apply for Child Benefit
You can claim Child Benefit online here, or fill out a Child Benefit claim form (CH2) and send it to the Child Benefit Office along with your child’s original birth certificate.
If you don’t have the certificate, you can send in the form anyway and forward the certificate as soon as you have it.
It's important to claim as soon as your baby is born – Child Benefit can only be backdated three months from the date of your application.
Also, bear in mind it can take up to 12 weeks to process your application.
If you need help with your claim, you can call the Child Benefit Helpline number on 0300 200 3100. Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm. If you have a question about a particular claim, it helps to have your National Insurance Number or Child Benefit Number with you when you call.
Child Benefit if you earn more than £50,000
If you or your partner earns over £50,000 a year, you’ll have to pay back some of the money you get. This is known as the ‘High Income Child Benefit Charge’.
You can use the Child Benefit calculator from gov.uk to estimate how much you may have to pay. As a guide, you’ll need to pay back 1% of your family’s Child Benefit for every £100 of your income over £50,000. You'll need to fill in a Self Assessment tax return to pay back what you owe.
If you or your partner earns over £60,000, you’ll have to repay all of your Child Benefit in the form of extra Income Tax.
Why it’s important to claim Child Benefit
If you’re out of paid work looking after your child, or not earning enough to make National Insurance contributions, claiming Child Benefit will ensure you get credits towards your State Pension.
If you don’t claim, you might also miss out on:
- other benefits such as Guardian’s Allowance
- your child being automatically issued with a National Insurance number before their 16th birthday
Even if you don’t think you’ll be entitled to anything, it’s still worth filling in a claim so you don’t miss out on National Insurance credits.
If either of you earns over £60,000, you can always fill in a form, but opt out of payments.
Child Benefit FAQs
What's my Child Benefit number?
You should be able to find your Child Benefit number on any related letters or paperwork you've received. It starts with 'CHB', followed by eight numbers and two letters (e.g. CHB 12345678 AB).
When does Child Benefit stop?
Child Benefit stops when any of the following apply to your child:
- They reach age 16 and aren't in training or education
- They reach age 20
- They start paid work for more than 24 hours a week and aren't in training or education
- They start an apprenticeship in England
- They start getting their own benefits
If your 16 or 17 year old leaves education or training and joins the armed services or a government-sponsored career service, you could keep getting the benefit for 20 weeks.
If your child lives somewhere else or goes to prison or youth care for more than eight weeks, or abroad for more than 12 weeks, your benefits may be affected. Check with the Child Benefit office.
What counts as approved education?
You can continue claiming Child Benefit for a child over 16 if they spend more than an average of 12 hours a week in the following types of education or training:
- A levels or similar, for example Pre-U, International Baccalaureate
- T levels
- Scottish Highers
- NVQs and other vocational qualifications up to level 3
- home education – if it started before your child turned 16. or if they have special needs
- traineeships in England
You can not claim Child Benefit for a child over 16 who is in higher education, such as at university, or if their course is paid for by an employer.
What are the Child Benefit payment dates in 2023/4?
The exact dates you get your money will depend on when you applied.Child Benefit is usually paid every four weeks, on a Monday or a Tuesday (unless there's a bank holiday).
If a the money is due on a bank holiday, it will usually arrive earlier, for example:
- Due 16 December 2023 - Arrives 22 December
- Due 1 January 2024 - Arrives 29 December 2023
If you think you've missed any payments, contact the Child Benefit Office straight away.
Is Child Benefit included in Universal Credit?
No, they're separate benefits. You can get Child Benefit and Universal Credit at the same time, and neither will be affected by the other.
Where to go for more information
As parents, it can be hard for us to work out all the different benefits and entitlements out there. But making the most of what's available can really help your family finances.
Thousands of families across the country make use of government help – whether they're working or not – and it's certainly nothing to be ashamed of.
The charity Employers for Childcare offers free, impartial benefits advice for all parents. Give them a call on 0800 028 3008 and they'll be happy to answer your questions.
How have benefits helped you? Let us know using the chat thread below.
Related links
Financial support for single parents
