Child Benefit payments will be late this week for more…

Child Benefit payments will be late this week for more than 532,000 families

Child Benefit is a payment made to people who are responsible for bringing up a child aged below 16 or a young person under 20, if they are still in full-time education or on certain approved training courses. The benefit is usually paid every four weeks on a Monday or a Tuesday, however, it can be paid weekly if you are a single parent or also receiving certain benefits, such as Income Support.

August 1 is a public holiday in Scotland, which means some 532,180 parents and guardians in receipt of the benefit will not get any payments on that date, however, money will land in accounts on the next working day.

Guidance on GOV.UK indicates that anyone expecting payments on Monday, August 1, these will now go in on Tuesday, August 2 and anyone due to be paid on Tuesday, August 2 will receive the cash on Wednesday, August 3.

Child Benefit payment rates 2022/23

There are two Child Benefit rates in place.

Current Child Benefit rates per week

Eldest or only child - £21.80
Additional children - £14.45

Guardian's Allowance

Weekly rate - £18.55

There is also a bank holiday at the end of this month, on Monday, August 29, which will result in Child Benefit payments being made earlier.

Anyone due to receive the payment on Monday, August 29 will instead get it on Friday, August 26.

If you have any queries about your payment, you can contact the Child Benefit Office online via HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) digital assistant here.

You can also call the Child Benefit Office directly on 0300 200 3100, lines are open Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm.

You can find more ways to contact HMRC on the GOV.UK website, here.

How is Child Benefit and Guardian's Allowance paid?

The payments come through every four weeks on a Monday or a Tuesday and the claimant will also be awarded National Insurance credits which can count towards their State Pension.

What age do Child Benefit payments stop?

Child Benefit can be claimed for any child below 16 or under 20 if they stay in approved education or training.

What if your circumstances change?

Any changes in circumstances which may affect a claimant’s eligibility must be reported to the Child Benefit office immediately.

What else you need to know

There is no limit on how many children can be claimed for, but only one person can receive Child Benefit.

HMRC have also announced the new allowances for Working Tax Credits and Child Tax Credits - see the new threshold rates on GOV.UK here.

How do earnings affect Child Benefit?

Anyone can claim Child Benefit if they are responsible for a child, but earnings may have an effect on the payments.

If the claimant or their partner earns more than £50,000 a year they will need to pay back some of the Child Benefit as Income Tax.

One per cent of the family’s Child Benefit will need to be paid back for every £100 earned over £50,000 each year.

If over £60,000 is earned in a year then all of the Child Benefit claimed will need to be paid back.

It is possible to stop or restart a claim at any point and free support is available for anyone who needs help with their application.

For more information on Child Benefit, visit GOV.UK, here.

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