Child Benefit can be claimed for anyone responsible for bringing up a child under 16, or under 20 if they stay in approved education or training. The money received should be used to look after the child, funding their food, clothes and potential pocket money.
Unless either parent or carer earns an annual salary of more than £50,000, payments are tax-free. There is no limit to the amount of claims that can be made as any number of children can be included.
Receiving Child Benefit also ensures your child is automatically issued with a National Insurance number prior to their 16th birthday. A family with two children can claim more than £1,800 a year in Child Benefit.
Read more: What age do babies start talking and how can you help them learn?
Am I eligible to claim Child Benefit?
Only one person in the family can claim Child Benefit for a child. If you are responsible for a child under 16 (or under 20 if they stay in approved education or training) and you live in the UK, you normally qualify for Child Benefit.
You will be deemed as responsible for a child if you live with them or pay at least the same amount as Child Benefit towards their wellbeing. Eligibility rules differ if your child goes into hospital or care or lives with someone else, and these are stipulated on the UK government website.
As long as the local council isn’t paying anything towards accommodation or maintenance, you’ll receive Child Benefit if you foster a child, while applications for the benefit can be submitted as soon as any child you adopt comes to live with you.
How to claim Child Benefit?
Child Benefit can be claimed as soon as you’ve registered the birth of your child or they come to live with you. Processing a claim can take up to 16 weeks, and they can be backdated for up to three months.
You should decide which parent makes the claim, with the person doing so also getting National Insurance credits towards their state pension if they aren’t working or earn less than £190 a week. The Child Benefit claim form CH2 should be filled in and sent to the Child Benefit Office.
To add a child to an existing claim, you should call the Child Benefit helpline if your child is under six-months-old and lives with you in the UK. You will need your National Insurance number and child's birth certificate when calling.
How much will I get for Child Benefit?
Two Child Benefit rates are available for parents to claim. If the allowance is for the eldest or only child, the weekly rate is priced at £21.80.
For any additional children, the rate falls to £14.45 per child. If you’re paid too much or too little, you must contact the Child Benefit Office to correct it.
How and when will I get paid Child Benefit?
Traditionally, Child Benefit is paid every four weeks on a Monday or Tuesday. If you’re a single parent or receiving certain other benefits, such as Income Support, you can have the money paid on a weekly basis.
The money can be paid into any account apart from a Nationwide cashbuilder account (sort code 070030) in someone else’s name. Only one account can be chosen to have the money paid into.
How to make changes to your Child Benefit claim?
Any changes of circumstance, such as you getting married or your child leaving education, should be reported to the Child Benefit Office. If you want to swap the person who claims the benefit, the original receiver should contact the office and the other person should make a new claim.
When will I stop receiving Child Benefit payments?
Child Benefit payments will stop immediately if your child begins paid work for 24 hours or more a week, and is no longer in approved education or training. They will also cease if they start an apprenticeship in England or starts getting certain benefits in their own right.
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