Child Tax Credit |

Contents

Overview

You could get Child Tax Credit for each child you’re responsible for if they’re:

under 16
under 20 and in approved education or training

You don’t need to be working to claim Child Tax Credit.

You get money for each child that qualifies and Child Tax Credit won’t affect your Child Benefit.

How much you get depends on your circumstances – you can use the tax credit calculator to work this out.

Only one household can get Child Tax Credit for a child.

Eligibility

Eligibility depends on:

the child’s age
your income
if you’re responsible for the child

Use the tax credit questionnaire to check if you qualify.

The child’s age

To qualify the child must be:

under 16 – you can claim up until the 31st August after their 16th birthday
under 20 – if they’re in approved education or training

Your income

Use the tax credit calculator to check if your income is too high for tax credits and work out what money you could get.

(Note:US based families can use online calculators and estimators at https://turbotax.intuit.com/ to determine Child tax credits.)

There’s no set limit for income because it depends on your circumstances (and those of your partner).

For example, it’s sometimes £26,000 for a 1 child family but can be higher if you pay for approved childcare or one of you is disabled.

Responsibility for a child

You’re usually responsible for a child if they:

live with you all the time
they normally live with you and you’re the main carer
they live in Europe but are financially dependent on you

Contact the Tax Credit Helpline if you’re not sure you’re responsible for the child.

Tax Credit Helpline

Telephone: 0345 300 3900
Textphone: 0345 300 3909
Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm
Saturday, 8am to 4pm

If the child is disabled

You may get extra Child Tax Credits if:

the child gets Disability Living Allowance
the child is registered blind (or was within 28 weeks of your tax credits claim)

You still qualify if Disability Living Allowance stops because the child goes into hospital.

What You Could Get

You could get a basic amount and extra (known as ‘elements’) on top of this.

How much you get depends on things like your income and circumstances (eg if your child is disabled).

The basic amount is up to £545 a year.

Elements	Yearly amount
For each child	Up to £2,690
For each disabled child	Up to £2,950
For each severely disabled child	Up to £1,190 (on top of the disabled child payment)

Use the tax credit calculator to work out how much you could get.

How you’re paid

All benefits, pensions and allowances are paid into an account (eg a bank account) of the person mainly responsible for the child.

You’re paid from the date of your claim up to the end of the tax year (5 April).

If your circumstances change

Your tax credits can go up or down if your family or work life change – you must report these changes to the Tax Credit Office. For example, your child leaves home or your income changes.

How to Claim

If you’re new to tax credits, contact the Tax Credit Helpline for a claim form. It takes up to 2 weeks to arrive.

If you’re already claiming tax credits you don’t need a claim form – just call the helpline to update your claim.