Overview
- HMRC has issued roughly 1.5 million letters with a QR code urging parents to confirm that 16‑year‑olds will stay in approved education or training to keep Child Benefit flowing.
- If parents do not confirm continuation payments will automatically stop on or after a child’s 16th birthday on 31 August with a typical monthly payment of about £108.20 at risk.
- Claimants can extend their Child Benefit quickly using the HMRC app or the GOV.UK online service, a digital extension tool that opened in April to reduce manual processing delays.
- Child Benefit rates were uprated from 6 April to £27.05 per week for the eldest or only child and £17.90 per week for each additional child, and the benefit also carries National Insurance credits that protect State Pension entitlement.
- Claims can only be backdated up to three months and households with an individual income between £60,000 and £80,000 may face the High Income Child Benefit Charge, so late or unadjusted returns can cut or erase the net gain for some families.