Cash boost for anyone claiming Child Benefit – coming in weeks
Aneira Davies
Social and newsletter writerParents and carers who are entitled to Child Benefit will see extra money in their bank accounts from April as payments increase
Parents claiming Child Benefit are to get an increase in their payments – and it's due within a matter of weeks.
The change, which comes into force in April, will affect millions of families across the country.
Anyone claiming the benefit, which is paid to those responsible for a child under the age of 16, will see a rise in the amount they're paid.
The government's most recent figures show that 7 million households were claiming Child Benefit payments in August 2022, with around 680,000 more eligible for the help.
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How much is Child Benefit increasing?
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced, as part of his Autumn Statement in November, that he would increase benefits including Child Benefit by 6.7% from April this year, in line with September 2023's inflation figure.
What does this mean for me?
Currently, anyone who claims Child Benefit gets £24 per week for the first child and £15.90 per week, per child for any further children.
From early April 2024, the rates will rise to:
- £25.60 per week for the first child
- £16.95 per week, per child for any further children
In real terms, it means you'll be getting an increase of £1.60 a week, or £83.20 a year, for your first child and an increase of £1.05 a week, or £54.60 a year, for any subsequent children. This is equivalent to around £137.80 extra a year for those with two children.
It means families will soon get just over £1,330 per year for one child and an extra £881 a year for any other children they have.
When will the change be brought in?
The change will be brought in from 8 April 2024, in line with the new tax year.
Families claiming Child Benefit – which is paid weekly on a Monday or Tuesday – should start to see the increase soon after this date.
What other changes are coming?
Families who claim other benefits including Universal Credit and Child Tax Credits will also see an increase in their payments from April 2024.
Jeremy Hunt said last year, that those who claim Universal Credit will be almost £500 better off a year, because of the 6.7% rise.
He explained: 'This will be an average increase of £470 for 5.5 million households next year'.
While the exact amount of money Universal Credit claimants will get is dependent on their circumstances, all benefits will also rise by the same amount – 6.7%.
State Penison is the only benefit that won't rise at the same rate.
Instead, it will increase by 8.5% from April 2024, to £220.20, which is worth up to £900 more a year.
The living wage will also rise, going up to £11.44 per hour from April next year.
You'll find a full list of increases to means-tested benefits here.
What is Child Benefit?
Child 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).
To get the benefit, you should be contributing at least the same amount as Child Benefit to caring for the child you're responsible for. Costs include food, living costs and pocket money.
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.
What is the high-income tax charge?
The Child Benefit high-income charge is a change that was introduced in 2013. It affects people whose income is over the threshold for Child Benefit, but who choose to still receive the payments.
You may have to pay the high-income Child Benefit charge if you or your partner have an individual income that’s over £50,000 and either:
- you or your partner get Child Benefit
- someone else gets Child Benefit for a child living with you and they contribute at least an equal amount towards the child’s upkeep
It does not matter if the child living with you is not your child.
The charge is currently paid via Self-Assessment – the system which HMRC uses to collect income tax from people who have their own business or other sources of income.
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