Child Benefit stops automatically on 31 August on or after a child’s 16th birthday if it’s not extended.
Parents of 16-19-year-olds staying on at school or college or taking a recognised training course need to extend their Child Benefit claim by 31 August to continue receiving payments.
How much is Child Benefit?
Child Benefit rates went up in April. The benefit is currently worth £26.05 per week – or £1,354.60 per year – for the eldest or only child. It’s paid at £17.25 per week – £897 per year – for each additional child.
Child Benefit is automatically paid into your nominated bank account every four weeks.
According to HMRC, more than 870,000 parents extended their Child Benefit claim for their teen last year.
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What counts as education or training?
Approved education includes:
- A-levels or similar (i.e., International Baccalaureate)
- T Levels
- Scottish Highers
- NVQs and most vocational qualifications up to level 3
- Home education – if it started either before your child turned 16 or after 16 if they have a statement of special educational needs
- Study programmes in England
- A pre-apprenticeship
How to extend Child Benefit
Between May and July, letters will be sent to parents reminding them to go online to confirm if their teenager is staying in full-time education or approved training after they finish their GCSEs to continue receiving their Child Benefit.
Parents can extend their claim via the HMRC app or online on Gov.uk. The letters contain a QR code that takes parents straight to the digital service on Gov.uk.
Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s director general for customer services, said: “Child Benefit is an important boost to families. As soon as you know what your teenager is planning to do, extend your claim in minutes to guarantee your payments continue in September. Simply go to Gov.uk or the HMRC app to confirm today.”
Watch out for the High Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC)
The HICBC is a tax charge designed to claw back Child Benefit if you or your partner have adjusted net income over a certain threshold.
If either the claimant or their partner has an individual income of between £60,000 and £80,000, the higher earner will be subject to the HICBC.
For families who fall into this category, the online Child Benefit tax calculator provides an estimate of how much benefit they will receive and what the charge may be.
From this summer, families will have the option to use a new digital service to pay the charge directly through their PAYE tax code instead of filing a self-assessment tax return.
HMRC said the new service will cut red tape for eligible employed parents who are liable to the HICBC, but those who choose to pay the charge through their self-assessment can continue to do so.
