PARENTS have just days left to take action to make sure their Child Benefit payments aren’t stopped.
Those with children aged between 16 to 19 will need to extend their benefit claim by the deadline of August 31 – or risk having their cash payments cancelled.
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Most parents are able to claim Child Benefit, helping to top up their incomes by thousands of pounds a year.
The benefit is available for parents with children under 16, or under 20 if the child is still in education or training.
But you’ll need to let the Government know if your child has turned 16 and is still in education.
If you don’t, it will automatically stop your payments on August 31.
If your child is going to continue in approved education or training, including doing A Levels or Scottish Highers, you can keep receiving the money.
Child Benefit is worth £26.05 per week for your eldest child and an extra £17.25 for any other children.
Over a year that adds up to £1,354.60 for the older child.
So if your child has two further years of education, that’s £2,709.20 in free cash that you could lose out on.
Education must be full-time (more than an average of 12 hours a week of supervised study or course-related work experience) and can include:
- A Levels or similar, for example, Pre-U, International Baccalaureate
- T levels
- Scottish Highers
- NVQs and other vocational qualifications up to level 3
- Home education – if it started before your child turned 16 or after 16 if they have special needs
- 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
Some families can also apply for a child benefit extension when their children’s education or training comes to an end.
You could get Child Benefit for 20 weeks if your child leaves approved education or training and either:
- Registers with their local careers service, Connexions (or a similar organisation in Northern Ireland, the EU, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein)
- Signs up to join the armed forces
Households can apply for the extension at Gov.UK or by calling HMRC on 0300 200 3100.
What is child benefit and who is eligible?
Child Benefit is paid to parents to help with the costs of childcare.
You’ll usually get paid every four weeks.
By claiming child benefit you also get National Insurance credits that count towards your state pension.
You normally qualify for child benefit if you live in the UK and are responsible for a child under 16.
However you can also claim the support for a child under 20 if they are in approved education or training.
When two or more people share the responsibility of caring for a child, it can only be claimed by one person.
You’re considered responsible for a child if you live with them or you are paying at least the same amount as Child Benefit towards looking after them.
You should bear in mind, eligibility changes if a child goes into hospital or care and if your child starts to live with someone else.
Usually, you get Child Benefit for eight weeks after your child goes to live with a friend or relative – as long as they don’t make a claim.
But it can continue for longer if you make contributions to your child’s upkeep.
Foster parents can also claim child benefit, as long as the council is not paying anything towards their accommodation or maintenance.
Legal guardians or parents adopting a child can also apply for the benefit, but the child has to be living with them.
Child benefit
Everything to know about child benefit:
