UK Child Benefit: a complete guide

What is Child Benefit?

Child Benefit is a sum of money paid out to parents and carers to help with the costs of caring for children. You must earn less than £80,000 a year.

Who is eligible for Child Benefit?

The eligibility rules to claim Child Benefit include the child’s age, where they live and your income.

Eligibility criteria

Only one person can claim Child Benefit for a child, and they must be responsible for the child. This is usually someone who lives with them or who regularly pays for their care.

The child you are caring for must meet the following criteria:

under the age of 16

under the age of 20 but in approved education or training

Your annual income must be below £80,000. Your joint income doesn’t matter when it comes to Child Benefit eligibility. If you both earn £50,000, for example, one of you can still claim Child Benefit. But if one person earns £20,000 and the other earns £80,000 you won’t be able to claim it.

Nationality and residency

You can only claim Child Benefit if you are a UK resident, or if you live in the UK and your immigration status allows you to claim public funds. This includes people with:

British or Irish citizenship

Settled status from the EU

Refugee status

There is a full list of those who can claim public funds on the gov.uk website. You may need to show that you have the right to live in the UK to claim Child Benefit.

Number of children and eligibility

You can receive Child Benefit for as many children as you have. There is no upper limit. You receive more for your eldest child than for any other children you have.

How much is Child Benefit?

Child Benefit is £1,331 a year for one child, and an extra £881 for any other children. This assumes that you will buy new equipment for your first child that you can reuse for your second child.

Child Benefit is a set weekly amount paid out every four weeks to those eligible. It changes every year. It rose by 6.7% in April 2024.

Child Benefit rates

Child Benefit has two rates, one for your first child and a lower rate for any more children you have.

Child Benefit rates 2024/25

How is Child Benefit paid?

Child Benefit is usually paid out every four weeks on a Monday or Tuesday, into an account you choose. You can request it is paid weekly if you are a single parent or if either you or your partner is receiving benefits. These benefits include the following:

Income Support

Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance

Income-based Employment and Support Allowance

Universal Credit

Pension Credit

How payment amounts are determined

Child Benefit changes on an annual basis, along with all benefits issued by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The rise is set at the inflation figure for the previous September. This table shows how Child Benefit has changed over the past five years.

Child Benefit rates 2019 – 2024

How to claim Child Benefit

You can claim Child Benefit on the gov.uk website from 48 hours after you’ve registered your child’s birth. Child Benefit can be backdated by three months. It’s worth signing up as soon as you have your child’s birth or adoption certificate.

Application process

You can apply for Child Benefit online at the gov.uk website where you’ll be asked to sign into your Government Gateway. You’ll be asked to enter your details and you may need to send in documents to the Child Benefit office.

You can also claim on the HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) app or you can download and print off a claim form and post it to HMRC.

Required documents

When you apply for Child Benefit, you will need the following documents:

Your child’s birth certificate or adoption certificate

Your child’s passport if they were born outside of the UK

Both you and your partner’s National Insurance numbers

Your average income before tax

Your bank details

Where to submit your application

If you are sending an application by post, you will need to send it to HMRC at the following address:

HMRC - Child Benefit Office,

Washington,

Newcastle upon Tyne

NE88 1AA

The Child Benefit contact number is 0300 200 3100.

How to challenge a Child Benefit decision

If you disagree with HMRC you can ask it to look at your Child Benefit claim again. It’s free to do this and it’s known as a ‘mandatory reconsideration’. You may have the decision changed if you can prove you are entitled to the benefit, if HMRC thinks you’ve been overpaid but you can prove you haven’t, or if an overpayment was made and you can show it wasn’t your fault.

You must do this within one month from the date of the decision, although in some cases you can ask for a reconsideration up to 13 months later.

Citizens Advice advises you to contact HMRC in writing, at the address above, when asking it to consider a decision.

Child Benefit and your taxes

Child Benefit is only paid to those who earn less than £80,000 a year. If either partner earns more than £60,000, and you receive Child Benefit, you will pay the High Income Child Benefit charge.

Understanding the High Income Child Benefit Charge

The High Income Child Benefit charge has recently changed, increasing to £60,000 from £50,000. Now, if either partner earns more than £60,000 a year their Child Benefit amount will start to reduce.

The High Income Child Benefit charge is 1% of your Child Benefit for every £200 you earn over £60,000. If you had an income of £70,000, for example, there would be a charge of 50% of the Child Benefit you’ve received.

If one of you earns £80,000 the charge will equal your Child Benefit. In effect you won’t be getting any Child Benefit.

How to pay the charge

If you or your partner earns more than £60,000 you can either opt out of getting Child Benefit payments or you can receive Child Benefit and then pay the higher income Child Benefit charge.

If you opt out of the benefit, you should still fill in the Child Benefit application form but opt not to receive payments. If you do this you will also receive National Insurance credits, which count towards your state pension entitlement.

To pay the tax charge, you or your partner (whoever has the higher salary) must register for self-assessment and fill out a self-assessment tax form.

Managing Child Benefit

Once you’ve set up Child Benefit, it’s an easy payment to manage. You will receive it every four weeks and unless anything changes in your circumstances, there’s not much else you need to do.

Reporting changes

If there are any changes – to you or your child – that could impact your Child Benefit eligibility you need to contact HMRC. These can include the following for your child:

If they are aged 16 to 20 and stop education or training

If they started receiving Universal Credit, Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) or Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

If they change their name by deed poll

If they get married or form a civil partnership

If they move in with their partner

If they go missing

If they die

These changes can be reported online, via the app, or by phone or post to HMRC. Only the person claiming Child Benefit can tell HMRC about a change of circumstances.

How to stop or restart the benefits

If your circumstances change and you aren’t eligible for Child Benefit, you need to contact HMRC and the benefit will be stopped. If you then become eligible for the benefit again – if your income falls, for example – you will need to reapply to HMRC.

FAQs on Child Benefit

Who is eligible for Child Benefit and how much is it worth?

Anyone can claim Child Benefit, which is worth £1,331 a year for one child, and an extra £881 for any other children. If either partner earns more than £60,000, their Child Benefit is reduced and at £80,000 they cannot receive it.

How do you apply for Child Benefit?

You can apply for Child Benefit on the HMRC app, via the gov.uk website, or by printing off the Child Benefit application form (from gov.uk) and posting it to the Child Benefit office.

Does Child Benefit affect national insurance or tax?

Child Benefit won’t impact most people’s tax status and the money you receive is not taxable. But if you earn more than £60,000 you will have to pay a tax charge – which is a percentage of the benefit which you will need to pay back.

If you are not working and are receiving Child Benefit, you will receive National Insurance credits. These credits contribute to your state pension entitlement and you’ll need 35 years to receive the full state pension when you retire.

Is child benefit affected by the Benefit Cap?

Child Benefit is affected by the Benefit Cap.

What happens to Child Benefit if my family circumstances change?

If your circumstances change and you no longer meet the Child Benefit eligibility, you must tell HMRC and it will stop the payments.

What other help is available for families?

You may be eligible for other help to pay for the cost of caring for a child. Some of the most common are listed here:

Extra help with caring for children

Conclusion: maximising Child Benefit

Child Benefit is a valuable resource and it’s something most people can apply for, from 48 hours after your child’s birth is registered. As long as you follow the rules, you can receive the payment every four weeks, which can go towards the cost of caring for your child.

Even if you earn more than the £60,000 limit, you can still receive Child Benefit, but at a lower rate as you’ll have to pay some of it back. If one of you earns more than £80,000, you can opt to stop the payments or receive them and then pay them back. But even if you don’t receive the payments, it’s worth applying for Child Benefit as it counts towards your National Insurance. That builds your pension entitlement.