Overview

You get Child Benefit if you’re responsible for a child under 16 (or under 20 if they stay in approved education or training).

You get a tax-free payment for each child.

Child Benefit rates are fixed until 2014.

You must report any changes of circumstances to the Child Benefit Office.

Incomes over £50,000

If you, or your partner, have an individual income of more than £50,000 and one of you is entitled to get Child Benefit you might be affected by a new tax charge

Eligibility

Only one person can get Child Benefit for a child.

You normally qualify for Child Benefit if you’re responsible for a child under 16 (or under 20 if they stay in approvededucation or training) and you live in the UK.

Eligibility rules are different if your child:

• goes into care
• goes into hospital or residential care
• lives with someone else

Adoptions and fostering

If you’re adopting a child, apply for Child Benefit as soon as the child comes to live with you – you don’t have to wait until the adoption process is complete.

The nationality of the child doesn’t affect whether you’re entitled to Child Benefit or not.

You might be able to get Child Benefit for a period before the adoption – contact the Child Benefit Office to find out.

If you foster a child, you’ll get Child Benefit if the local council isn’t paying anything towards the child’s accommodation or maintenance.

Looking after someone else’s child

You may be able to get Child Benefit if you’ve got an informal arrangement to look after a friend or relative’s child.

If your local council is paying towards the child’s accommodation or maintenance you might not qualify -contact the Child Benefit Office to find out.

If you want to make a claim, you need to try to agree with the person who is currently getting Child Benefit (eg the parent) that you can make a claim instead – 2 people can’t get Child Benefit for the same child.

If you’re responsible for a child who has lost one or both of their parents, you may also be entitled to Guardian’s Allowance.

Living abroad

You could get Child Benefit if you’re a national of an EEAcountry or Switzerland, and work in the UK (or get certain UK benefits, eg State Pension).

There’s more information about Child Benefit if you’re living or working abroad on the HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) website.

New arrivals to the UK

You could get Child Benefit if your main home is now in the UK and you have permission to enter the UK and stay there – there’s more information about this on the HMRCwebsite.

Questions about eligibility

If you’re not sure about your eligibility, contact the Child Benefit Office.

What You Could Get

The current rates are fixed until April 2014.

You must tell the Child Benefit Office if you’re paid too much.

If families split or join together

If a family splits up, you get £20.30 a week for the eldest child you qualify for.

If 2 families join together, the eldest child in the new family qualifies for the £20.30 rate. If you’re entitled to Child Benefit for any other children, you’ll get the £13.40 rate for each of them.

How Child Benefit is paid

Child Benefit is paid into your bank account every 4 weeks. You can get it paid weekly if you’re a single parent or getting certain other benefits, eg Income Support.

When you get paid depends on where you live. You can find your next payment date online.

How to Claim

1. Fill in a Child Benefit claim form.
2. Send it to the Child Benefit Office with your child’s original birth or adoption certificate.

The claim form is also available in Welsh.

Claim Child Benefit as soon as your child is born or comes to live with you.

Child Benefit can only be backdated for 3 months – make your claim as soon as possible.

If you don’t have the birth or adoption certificate, you should still send in your claim form – send the certificate later on when you’ve got it.

You don’t need the birth or adoption certificate if you’ve claimed Child Benefit before and are making a new claim for the same child.