- UK-wide
Child Benefit
Weekly HMRC payment to parents and carers for each child they are responsible for, with a higher rate for the eldest or only child.
Overview
Child Benefit is a payment administered by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) for anyone responsible for bringing up a child who is under 16, or under 20 if the child is in approved education or training. It is paid at a higher rate for the eldest or only child and at a lower rate for each subsequent child. The payment is available across the UK, including in Northern Ireland, and is normally paid every four weeks. Child Benefit itself is not means-tested, but the High Income Child Benefit Charge means that where the higher earner in the household has an adjusted net income above a set threshold, some or all of the benefit is recovered through the tax system. Because of this, some higher-earning parents choose to register for Child Benefit but opt out of receiving payments — registration still protects National Insurance credits that count toward State Pension for the parent not in paid work, and it ensures the child receives a National Insurance number automatically at 16. Only one person can claim Child Benefit for a given child. Eligibility is determined by HMRC. This page references figures and criteria from the primary GOV.UK source; the authoritative source for any individual award remains HMRC.
Applies in UK-wide. Administered by HMRC. This page is general information; contact HMRC for your individual circumstances.
How this page was verified
- Checked against 1 primary source from HMRC and linked source records on this page.
- Last verified on .
- Reviewed by Due to You editorial review under the editorial policy and methodology.
How the amount is calculated
Child Benefit is one of the simplest cash entitlements in the UK system — two flat rates, paid every four weeks, administered by HMRC. Its complexity lies entirely in the interaction with the High Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC) for higher-earning households, and in the under-appreciated way it protects the claimant's State Pension record through National Insurance credits.
The rates
Two rates. The higher rate is for the eldest qualifying child or only child. The lower rate is for each additional child. For 2026/27: £27.05/week eldest, £17.90/week each additional. Paid every four weeks into a bank or building society account, or weekly if you're a single parent or receiving certain other benefits.
Who counts as a "qualifying child"
A child up to age 16, or up to age 20 if they're in approved full-time education (A-levels, NVQs up to level 3, or equivalent) or on an approved unpaid training course. University, Open University courses, and paid apprenticeships do not count. There's a gap: once a child leaves approved education (or turns 20), Child Benefit stops even if they're still financially dependent.
The High Income Child Benefit Charge
If either parent in the household has an adjusted net income above £60,000 (2026/27 threshold), the higher-earner faces a tax charge — 1% of the Child Benefit received for every £200 of income over £60,000. At £80,000 the charge equals 100% of the Child Benefit received: you claim, then pay it all back through Self Assessment. Above £80,000 there's a small additional charge.
The key misconception: HICBC does not automatically apply. It only applies if you actually claim the benefit. You have three choices: (a) claim and be paid, then repay via Self Assessment (HICBC); (b) claim but opt out of payments, keeping the NI credit entitlement; (c) don't claim at all — which forfeits both the cash and the NI credit. Option (b) is almost always better than (c).
Why the NI credit matters
Every week you claim Child Benefit for a child under 12, you get a Class 3 NI credit towards the State Pension — even if you're also working and don't need it from an NI perspective, and even if you opt out of payments. Skipping the Child Benefit claim entirely because of HICBC means the non-earning or lower-earning partner potentially loses years of NI credits they would need for a full State Pension. The solution is to claim in the name of the parent who needs the NI credit.
Effect on other benefits
Child Benefit does not count as income for Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction, or other means-tested benefits. It runs in parallel. It is also not affected by the two-child limit — the two-child limit restricts child elements in UC and Child Tax Credit, not Child Benefit, which is paid for every qualifying child.
Joint claims are not a thing
Child Benefit is claimed by one person for a child, not jointly. You choose which parent. For NI-credit reasons this should generally be whichever parent is building up the smaller NI record (typically the parent taking career breaks, working part-time, or not in paid work).
Worked examples
Illustrative scenarios with plausible household compositions. Figures are rounded for readability; run the triage or a calculator for a personal estimate.
Two earners below the HICBC threshold, two children
Sam and Jordan, both 38. Sam earns £45,000; Jordan earns £32,000. Two children aged 8 and 5.
Neither parent is over £60,000 — HICBC does not apply. They claim Child Benefit at the two-child rate: £26.05 (eldest) + £17.25 (second) = £43.30 a week, £2,252 a year.
Which parent claims? Sam earns more and has been working full-time since graduating; Jordan took 5 years out of work raising the children and then returned part-time. Claiming in Jordan's name puts the NI credits onto Jordan's record for the years until the younger child turns 12 — worth about 4 years of Class 3 credits, each worth roughly £300/year in eventual State Pension.
One high earner, one at-home parent, HICBC territory
Dev earns £95,000, Priya is at home caring for their three children (aged 12, 9, 6). Priya has been out of paid work for 8 years.
Dev's adjusted net income of £95,000 is comfortably above £80,000 — HICBC would recover 100% of any Child Benefit received as tax. Option (a) (claim + be paid + repay) is a cash-flow loss with zero net cash benefit. Option (c) (don't claim) forfeits Priya's NI credits — she'd get no credit for 6 more years until the youngest turns 12.
Right answer: option (b). Claim Child Benefit in Priya's name on the HMRC online form; tick the box to opt out of payments. No cash paid, no HICBC charge, but NI credits accrue to Priya's record automatically. Those 6 years of Class 3 credits preserve a large chunk of Priya's future State Pension at zero present cost.
Common mistakes that cost claimants money
Not claiming at all because of HICBC
Over 500,000 UK families are now not claiming Child Benefit because one parent earns over £60,000. A proportion of these have made the right call financially — but many have given up NI credits that they'll need for a full State Pension. If the higher-earning parent earns over £80,000, claim anyway, opt out of payment, keep the NI credit: this protects the lower-earning parent's pension record at zero financial cost.
Claiming in the wrong parent's name
If both parents work, claim in the name of whoever has the weaker NI record — the one with most part-time years or career breaks. Changing who claims is possible but involves stopping one claim and starting another; easier to get it right first.
Not updating HMRC when a child leaves education
If a child drops out of school or college, the family must tell HMRC. Continuing to be paid after entitlement ends creates an overpayment that HMRC will recover. This applies particularly around A-level results week — a child who doesn't return to school in September ceases to qualify from that week.
Forgetting the over-16-in-education extension
Child Benefit continues for a 16-19-year-old in approved education (A-levels, NVQ up to level 3, or equivalent) up to their 20th birthday. You have to actively confirm to HMRC that the child has stayed on — they send a form in the summer of the year the child turns 16 and again at subsequent year-ends. Families sometimes don't return the form and lose the benefit automatically.
Getting caught by HICBC through a bonus or one-off
The £60,000 threshold is based on the higher-earner's adjusted net income for the tax year — including bonuses, overtime, redundancy payments over the £30,000 exemption, company-car benefit-in-kind, rental income, dividends. A one-off bonus or a promotion mid-year can push you over. This is often discovered when completing Self Assessment after year-end, by which time the charge has accrued for months. Factor pension contributions (which reduce adjusted net income) into the calculation.
What to have ready before you apply
- Your National Insurance number.
- Your child's full name, date of birth, and birth certificate (original will need to be sent).
- Your bank or building society account details.
- Partner's National Insurance number and income details for the HICBC check.
- For any child over 16: confirmation of approved full-time education (school / college letter).
- If you've moved to the UK recently: immigration status documents.
- If you're re-claiming after a gap: the date your previous claim ended.
Rates
Eligibility criteria include
- AGEYou normally qualify if you are responsible for a child under 16. [GOV.UK]
- RESIDENCEYou must live in the UK to normally qualify for Child Benefit. [GOV.UK]
- HOUSEHOLDYou'll usually be responsible for a child if you live with them, or you're paying at least the same amount as Child Benefit (or the equivalent in kind) towards looking after them. [GOV.UK]
- AGEChild Benefit can continue if the child is under 20 and stays in approved education or training. [GOV.UK]
- HOUSEHOLDOnly one person can get Child Benefit for a child. If two people are responsible for the same child, they must agree who will claim; if they cannot agree, HMRC will decide. [GOV.UK]
- HOUSING STATUSYou'll get Child Benefit if you foster a child, as long as the local council is not paying anything towards their accommodation or maintenance. [GOV.UK]
- RESIDENCEYou may be able to get Child Benefit if you go to live in certain countries or if you're a Crown servant. [GOV.UK]
- IMMIGRATIONIf you have settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you can claim Child Benefit. [GOV.UK]
- IMMIGRATIONIf you have pre-settled status and are working, you must be earning or expect to earn above the primary threshold for employees paying National Insurance for 3 continuous months. [GOV.UK]
- IMMIGRATIONIf you have pre-settled status and have sufficient resources to support yourself financially, you can claim Child Benefit, but you may not be eligible if you claim Income Support, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, Pension Credit or Universal Credit. [GOV.UK]
- IMMIGRATIONIf you have pre-settled status and are studying, you must have sufficient resources to support yourself financially. [GOV.UK]
- IMMIGRATIONIf you are a family member of an EEA or Swiss national who has a right to reside (as their spouse/civil partner, dependent child/grandchild under 21, or dependent parent/grandparent), you can claim Child Benefit. [GOV.UK]
- WORK STATUSChild Benefit stops if the child starts paid work for 24 hours or more a week and is no longer in approved education or training. [GOV.UK]
- WORK STATUSChild Benefit stops if the child starts an apprenticeship in England. [GOV.UK]
- OTHERChild Benefit stops if the child starts getting certain benefits, such as Employment and Support Allowance or Universal Credit. [GOV.UK]
- INCOMEIf either you or your partner's adjusted net income is over the threshold, you may have to pay the High Income Child Benefit Charge. [GOV.UK]
- INCOMEIf either you or your partner has an individual income of £20,000 or more above the threshold (£10,000 or more before April 2024), you'll be charged the same amount as you make through Child Benefit payments, resulting in no net benefit from Child Benefit payments. [GOV.UK]
- AGEChild Benefit can continue for 20 weeks if a 16 or 17 year old leaves education or training and registers with a government-sponsored careers service or the armed services. [GOV.UK]
- HOUSING STATUSYou may be able to get Child Benefit for an informal arrangement to look after a friend or relative's child, but you might not qualify if the local council is paying towards the child's accommodation or maintenance. [GOV.UK]
- IMMIGRATIONIf you have pre-settled status and are looking for work, you can continue to claim Child Benefit as a jobseeker for 91 days, unless you get a job offer. [GOV.UK]