Parents can expect to see an increase to Child Benefit this year, alongside increases to several other state payments including Universal Credit.
The payment is made to parents or guardians who are responsible for raising a child under 16 or a young person under 20 who is in full-time education or on specific approved courses.
To be considered responsible for a child, a person will need to live with them - or be spending at least the same amount as Child Benefit on things like food, clothes or pocket money to look after them.
The benefit payment is made once a month to parents and on a weekly basis to single parents or anyone being supported by other schemes like Income Support.
Here’s everything you need to know when the Child Benefit rates will increase and by how much.
When will Child Benefit payments increase?
New payments are due from April 11.
How much Child Benefit will I get a week?
Currently, there are two Child Benefit rates - £21.15 a week for the eldest child and £14 a week for any additional children.
This means for one child, it works out to £84.60 a month or slightly over £1,000 a year.
Benefits for any children after the first will be £56 a month or slightly over £700 a year.
From April, these weekly payments go up to:
- Eldest or only child - £21.80
- Additional children - £14.45
How much is the increase?
This is an increase of 65p and 45p respectively per week and means the new, regular four-weekly payments will be £87.20 for an eldest or only child and £56 for any additional children.
The country is currently being rocked by a host of soaring prices that will leave families £2,000 a year worse off .
The Mirror reported that the average home will pay a record extra £693 in energy costs from April due to a rise in a price cap set by regulator Ofgem.
A quarter of all British households are expected to be plunged into fuel poverty by the increase in these bills.
If that were not enough, the cost of other goods is going up too.
Annual food bills are going up by around £180 as the cost of living crisis continues to squeeze households.
Last month The Mirror reported that thousands of Brits who have HMRC benefits paid into a Post Office card account have just weeks left to redirect their payments .
HMRC will stop paying tax credits, Child Benefit and Guardian’s Allowance payments into Post Office card accounts from April 5, 2022.
If you don't redirect your benefits by this date, HMRC will temporarily hold your payments until you contact them.
You can update your Personal Tax Account or Child Benefit account online at Gov.uk or by calling 0300 200 3100.
