One month warning for thousands of parents who risk child benefit being STOPPED – move to make now to avoid losing cash
PARENTS whose children have turned 16 but are staying in education must tell HMRC or they will lose their child benefit payments.
Parents who receive child benefit get £102.40 every four weeks for the first or only child and £67.80 every four weeks for each additional child.
That means a family with two eligible children would receive £2,212.60 a year in child benefit payments.
There is no limit to how many children a family can claim child benefit for.
Child benefit payments typically stop automatically on August 31 in the year after your child’s 16th birthday.
But if they decide to stay on at school or college, such as if they’re doing A Levels, Scottish Highers, or the International Baccalaureate, you can continue getting the money.
You should have been sent a letter in your child’s last year at school asking you to confirm their plans.
If you didn’t get a letter, or you’ve lost or misplaced it, you can fill in an online form to let the taxman know that your child is staying in approved education and protect your benefits.
If your child is aged 18-20 and staying in approved education or training, you need to fill in the CH297 online form.
HMRC says: “If you fail to update your details in time, you may still be able to claim Child Benefit, but your payments might be late.”
To count as approved, the education must be full-time, which HMRC describes as more than an average of 12 hours a week of supervised study or course-related work experience.
The full list of education this includes is:
- A levels or similar, for example Pre-U, International Baccalaureate
- T levels
- Scottish Highers
- NVQs and most vocational qualifications up to level 3 – excluding intermediate and advanced apprenticeships
- home education – if it started either before your child turned 16 or after 16 if they have special educational needs and disabilities
- traineeships in England
Approved training should be unpaid and can include:
- in Wales: Foundation Apprenticeships, Traineeships or the Jobs Growth Wales+ scheme
- in Scotland: the No One Left Behind programme
- in Northern Ireland: PEACE IV Children and Young People 2.1, Training for Success or Skills for Life and Work
Your child needs to be accepted onto the course before they are 19, otherwise the child benefit payments will stop.
HMRC adds that you cannot get Child Benefit if your child is studying an “advanced” course, such as a university degree or BTEC Higher National Certificate, or if a course is paid for by an employer.
You also need to alert HMRC when your child is leaving approved education by filling in a CH459 online form.
Payments will stop at the end of February, May 31, August 31, or November 30 (whichever comes first).
You can apply for a 20-week extension if your child registers with their local careers service or Connexions, or signs up to the army.
To qualify for the extension your child needs to be 16 or 17, work less than 24 hours a week, and not receive certain benefits.
You need to apply within three months of them leaving approved education.
How to claim Child Benefit
Child benefit is worth up to £1,331 a year for your first or only child and up to £881 a year for additional children.
This works out at £102.40 every four weeks or £25.60 a week for your first child and £67.80 every 4 weeks or £16.95 a week for their siblings.
There is no limit on the number of children that can be claimed for.
Applying is straightforward and can be done in minutes at gov.uk or through the HMRC app.
Parents with a newborn baby should make a claim online as soon as possible and could then receive their first payment in as little as three days.
You can also backdate claims for up to three months.
Parents can make a claim and then choose to opt out of receiving Child Benefit payments can still receive National Insurance credits if one parent is not working.
National Insurance credits build up your entitlement to the state pension.
Updating HMRC on changes in circumstances
If your or your child’s circumstances change, you need to update HMRC or you could have your payments stopped.
For instance, the taxman says that if you move house and don’t update your details, you might lose your benefits.
You also need to alert the government if your immigration status changes, if you lose the right to reside in the UK.
If you have pre-settled status, if you end a relationship or start a new one, or if you get a prison sentence of more than eight weeks.
You also need to tell HMRC if either of the children’s parents dies, or changes their name or gender.
HMRC must also be told of any changes to your child’s circumstances.
These include:
- Your child has turned 16 or 20 if they are in education or training.
- Your child is aged 16 to 20 and leaves education or training.
- Your child is over 16 and starts working more than 24 hours per week.
- Your child gets married or forms a civil partnership.
- Your child goes missing or dies.
- Your child lives away from you for more than eight weeks in a row.
- Your child moves in with their partner on a permanent basis.
- Your child leaves the country for more than 12 weeks, unless it is part of school education or to get medical treatment.
- Your child goes to prison for more than eight weeks.
Your amount of Child Benefit might be reduced or completely stopped if you start getting payments from your local council or someone else who is looking after your children.
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