Child benefit is a welfare payment available for those individuals or couples who are responsible for bringing up a child. The benefit is applicable in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland with no specific age restrictions on the person making the claim. 

You can claim child benefit if you are responsible for a child who is

• Aged under 16
• Aged under 16 or 17 but meets the HMRC extension period rules
• Aged between 16 and 20 and has enrolled on a full time, non-advanced educational or approved training course

For the eldest child who meets the qualifying criteria you will receive £20.70 per week. For each subsequent child you will receive £13.70 per week.

If you or your partner earns over £50,000 a year, you can still claim Child Benefit. However, you’ll start to pay back some of it back in extra Income Tax. 

You will need to pay back 1% of your family’s Child Benefit for every £100 of your income over £50,000. 

If either of you earn over £60,000 a year, you will have to repay all of your Child Benefit in the form of extra Income Tax.

It can be worth continuing to claim Child Benefit and paying it back, depending on your circumstances.

Only one person can get Child Benefit for a child.

You can choose not to get Child Benefit payments, but you should still fill in the claim form because:

• It will help you get National Insurance credits which count towards your State Pension
• It will ensure your child is registered to get a National Insurance number when they’re 16 years old

You normally qualify for Child Benefit 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.

Child Benefit continues for 20 weeks if 16 or 17 year olds leave education or training and register with the armed services or a government-sponsored careers service.

You need to fill out a claim form (CH2) and send it to the Child Benefit Office along with your child’s original birth certificate. 

It is advisable to claim for the child benefits straight away because your Child Benefit payments can only be backdated three months from the date your application is received. 

Contact us today for further advice and assistance.