While young people are considering their future beyond their GCSE or Scottish National Certificate results, HMRC is asking parents and carers to make sure they update their Child Benefit records by 31 August, or risk seeing their payments end.
HMRC has written to 1.3 million parents and carers of children, who are in the last year of school or education, to remind them to update their Child Benefit records. More than 600,000 families have already notified HMRC, but many have yet to do so.
Parents and carers can update their Child Benefit records using their Personal Tax Account on GOV.UK, by returning a completed copy of the form they were sent earlier in the year, or by telephone.
Angela MacDonald, HMRC’s Deputy Chief Executive and Second Permanent Secretary, said:
Child Benefit provides vital financial support for families and we want to make sure no-one misses out because they haven’t updated their details on time.
The quickest way to notify HMRC is via your Personal Tax Account online, or search ‘child benefit when your child turns 16’ on GOV.UK for more information or further options for contacting us.
Child Benefit is paid to eligible parents or carers who are responsible for a child under 16, or under 20 if they are in full-time non-advanced education or approved training. This includes A-levels/ Scottish Highers, NVQs up to Level 3, or certain traineeships – check GOV.UK for a list of approved courses and training schemes.
Visit GOV.UK to find out more about Child Benefit for 16 to 19-year olds
A list of full-time non-advanced education and approved training can be found on GOV.UK. It does not include university degrees, or equivalent, as these are considered “advanced” education.
If parents or carers have an income over £50,000 (or their partner does) and receive Child Benefit, they may have to pay the High Income Child Benefit Charge via an annual Self Assessment tax return. More information on this can be found on GOV.UK.
Child Benefit is worth £21.80 per week for a first child and £14.45 for each additional child. There’s no limit to the number of children you can claim for. Making a Child Benefit claim also ensures you qualify for National Insurance credits, which contribute towards your State Pension and can, in some circumstances, be transferred to a grandparent or other family member who helps with childcare – known as Specified Adult Childcare Credits (SACC).
The government is offering help for households – check online to find out what cost of living support you could be eligible for.
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