Your Guide to Child Benefit (2025/26)

Welcome to your comprehensive guide to Child Benefit in the UK for the 2025/26 tax year! Child Benefit is a regular payment from the government to help you with the costs of raising children. It's available to most families, but its value goes far beyond the weekly payments.

Crucially, claiming Child Benefit – even if you choose not to receive the payments due to high income – can secure vital National Insurance (NI) credits towards your State Pension and ensures your child automatically gets their NI number before they turn 16. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know.

The weekly rates for Child Benefit in the 2025/26 tax year are:

• £26.05 per week for your eldest or only qualifying child.
• £17.25 per week for each additional qualifying child.

There's no limit to how many children you can claim for. Payments are usually made every four weeks into your chosen bank account, typically on a Monday or Tuesday. However, if you're a single parent or receive certain benefits like Income Support, you might be able to request weekly payments.

You can usually claim Child Benefit if you are responsible for bringing up a child who is:

• Under 16 years old.
• Under 20 years old if they stay in approved (non-advanced) education or training.

Additionally:

• You must live in the UK and meet residency conditions.
• Being "responsible" for a child usually means they live with you, or you pay at least the same amount as Child Benefit towards their upkeep (e.g., food, clothes, pocket money).
• If you foster a child, you can only claim Child Benefit if the local council is not paying towards their accommodation or maintenance.
• If you adopt a child, you can claim Child Benefit as soon as the child comes to live with you.

You can continue receiving Child Benefit for a child aged 16 to 19 if they are in full-time, non-advanced approved education or training. This means:

• The course must average more than 12 hours a week of supervised study or course-related work experience.
• Examples include: A-levels, T Levels, Scottish Highers, NVQs/SVQs up to Level 3, BTECs (up to Level 3), traineeships in England.
• It also includes certain unpaid government-approved training courses.

What's not included?

• University degrees or equivalent (e.g., HNC, HND).
• Education provided by an employer as part of a job contract (like an apprenticeship).
• Courses paid for or subsidised by an employer.

Claiming Child Benefit is straightforward. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Gather your information: You'll typically need:
   • Your child's original birth or adoption certificate.
   • Your bank or building society account details.
   • Your National Insurance number.
   • If your child was born outside the UK, their passport or travel document they used to enter the UK.
2. Complete the claim form (CH2): You can do this:
   • Online through your Government Gateway account (fastest way for many).
   • By printing the form from GOV.UK and posting it.
3. Submit your claim: Send the completed form and any required documents (like the birth certificate) to the Child Benefit Office. It's recommended to send original documents by recorded delivery. They will be returned to you.
4. Wait for confirmation: You'll receive a letter confirming your claim and when payments will start.
5. Decide on payments (if HICBC applies):
   • Receive the payments as normal.
   • If you or your partner earn over £60,000, you can choose to opt out of receiving payments to avoid the High Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC). Crucially, you should still complete and submit the claim form to protect your NI credits and ensure your child gets their NI number automatically.

If you or your partner have an individual ‘adjusted net income’ over £60,000 per year (for the 2025/26 tax year), you may have to pay back some or all of your Child Benefit as a tax charge. This is known as the High Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC).

• The charge applies if either you or your partner (if you have one and live together) has an adjusted net income over £60,000. It's based on the higher earner's income.
• ‘Partner’ means someone you’re married to, in a civil partnership with, or living with as if you are.
• ‘Adjusted net income’ is your total taxable income before any personal allowances and less certain tax reliefs, like pension contributions.
• For every £200 your income exceeds £60,000, you'll need to repay 1% of the Child Benefit you (or your partner) received for the family.
• If your (or your partner's) adjusted net income is £80,000 or more, you'll need to repay the full amount of Child Benefit received.

Example: If you earn £70,000 and claim for one child:

• Your income is £10,000 over the £60,000 threshold.
• This means you repay 50% of the Child Benefit (£10,000 / £200 = 50, so 50%).
• For one child at £26.05/week, this would be a charge of £13.03/week (approx. £677.30 per year).

How is the HICBC paid? The person with the higher income (if over £60,000) is responsible for paying the charge. This is done by registering for Self Assessment and declaring the Child Benefit received on their tax return.

Claiming Child Benefit can be incredibly valuable for your future State Pension, even if you opt out of payments due to HICBC, or if you're not currently working or are a low earner.

Here's why:

• If you claim Child Benefit for a child under 12, and you're not working or don't earn enough to make NI contributions, you automatically get National Insurance credits.
• These credits help build up your qualifying years for the State Pension. You generally need 35 qualifying years to get the full new State Pension.
• Each year of credits is valuable. Missing out on these by not claiming Child Benefit could mean a lower State Pension in retirement.
• This is particularly important for parents who take time out of paid work to care for children.

This is a significant, often overlooked, benefit of claiming Child Benefit:

• When you claim Child Benefit for your child, they will automatically be sent their National Insurance (NI) number just before they turn 16.
• This happens even if you have opted out of receiving Child Benefit payments due to the HICBC.
• Their NI number is essential for them when they want to start working (part-time or full-time), apply for a student loan, or claim benefits in their own right.
• If Child Benefit is not claimed for them, they will have to manually apply for an NI number themselves when they approach 16, which can be a more involved process.

It's vital to tell the Child Benefit Office about any changes in your circumstances as soon as possible. This helps ensure you receive the correct amount and avoid overpayments (which you'd have to pay back) or underpayments.

You must report changes such as:

Income changes relevant to HICBC:

If your or your partner's income changes significantly, potentially moving you into or out of the HICBC threshold, you should re-evaluate. You may need to start/stop paying the charge via Self Assessment or opt in/out of payments.

You can report most changes online via your Government Gateway account, by phone, or by post. Check GOV.UK for the most up-to-date methods.

Common Mistakes to Avoid:

• Not claiming at all: Some don't claim, especially if they expect to pay HICBC, missing out on NI credits for themselves and the automatic NI number for their child. Always fill in the claim form.
• Delaying the claim: Claims can only be backdated 3 months. Claim promptly after birth or when a child comes to live with you.
• Failing to report changes: Especially when a child leaves approved education or if income changes, leading to overpayments or HICBC issues.
• Not registering for Self Assessment for HICBC: If you or your partner earns over £60,000 and receive Child Benefit, the higher earner must declare it.
• Assuming the higher earner should claim: For NI credits, it's often better for the lower or non-earning parent to claim, even if the higher earner then pays HICBC via Self Assessment.
• Not informing HMRC if your child starts an apprenticeship: Apprenticeships are generally considered employment, not approved education for Child Benefit.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

For more detailed information and to manage your Child Benefit claim, refer to these official and helpful resources:

• Claim Child Benefit (GOV.UK)

  Official government page to apply online or download forms.

• Report a change of circumstances (GOV.UK)

  Essential for keeping your claim up to date.

• Child Benefit when your child turns 16 (GOV.UK)

  Information on approved education and training.

• High Income Child Benefit Charge (GOV.UK)

  Detailed guidance on the HICBC.

• Self Assessment Tax Returns (GOV.UK)

  For those needing to pay the HICBC.