Child Benefit rates and claiming

Child Benefit is a regular payment for anyone responsible for a child. The rates are £27.05 a week for the eldest or only child and £17.90 a week for each additional child, with no limit on the number of children. It is not means-tested, but if either partner has adjusted net income above £60,000, some or all of it is clawed back through the High Income Child Benefit Charge, and all of it is clawed back at £80,000.

How much you get

	Weekly	Every four weeks	Year
Eldest or only child	£27.05	£108.20	£1,406.60
Each additional child	£17.90	£71.60	£930.80
Two children in total	£44.95	£179.80	£2,337.40

Child Benefit is normally paid every four weeks into a bank account. Some single parents and families on certain benefits can ask for weekly payments.

Only one person can get Child Benefit for a child. If parents live apart, the parent the child lives with is usually the one to claim.

Who can claim

You can claim if you are responsible for a child who lives with you, or you pay towards their upkeep at least as much as the Child Benefit rate. Payments can carry on for an older child who stays in approved full-time education or training, and stop when they leave it. The exact age limits and the list of approved courses are on gov.uk.

There are residence rules. You must normally be living in the UK, and some people with certain immigration conditions cannot claim. If you are unsure, check gov.uk before you apply, or ask an OISC-registered adviser if your visa conditions are the issue.

How to claim

You can claim through the HMRC app or online once the child’s birth has been registered, or after the child comes to live with you. You need your National Insurance number, the child’s birth or adoption certificate details, and your bank details. If you are claiming for a new baby, you can usually claim as soon as the birth is registered.

Claim promptly. Child Benefit can only be backdated for a limited period, so a late claim can lose you payments.

Why to claim even if you earn over £80,000

If the High Income Child Benefit Charge would take all of your Child Benefit back, you can choose not to receive the payments. You should still fill in the claim form and then opt out of payments.

The reason is National Insurance credits. A parent who claims Child Benefit for a young child gets credits that count towards the State Pension, which protects the record of a parent who stays at home or works part time below the National Insurance thresholds. A claim also means the child is automatically sent a National Insurance number in their teens. The State Pension explains how qualifying years are built up.

The High Income Child Benefit Charge

The charge applies if either you or your partner has adjusted net income over £60,000 in a tax year. It is 1 per cent of the Child Benefit received for every £200 of income above £60,000. At £80,000 the charge equals the full amount.

It is the higher earner in the household who pays it, even if the other partner receives the Child Benefit.

Adjusted net income is taxable income minus certain deductions, including pension contributions. Public sector pensions are deducted before tax, so the figure that counts is usually well below your gross salary. As a hypothetical example, an NHS band 8b employee in England at the top of the band, £77,368, pays 12.5 per cent into the NHS Pension Scheme. That leaves adjusted net income of about £67,697, so the charge is 38 per cent of the Child Benefit. With one child, that is about £534.51 of the £1,406.60 received.

Gift Aid donations and payroll giving also reduce the income that counts. High Income Child Benefit Charge covers how the charge is paid and how to work out your adjusted net income.

When your circumstances change

Tell the Child Benefit Office if your child goes to live with someone else, leaves approved education, goes into care or hospital for long periods, or if you move abroad. Overpayments have to be repaid, sometimes going back several years. You can report most changes in the HMRC app or online.

Child Benefit does not reduce Tax-Free Childcare or the funded childcare hours, and you can receive it alongside Universal Credit. Tax-Free Childcare covers the main help with childcare costs for working parents.