Child benefit or children's allowance is a payment distributed to the parents or guardians of children, teenagers and in some cases, young adults.
Child Benefit
You can get Child Benefit if you’re responsible for bringing up a child who is:
under 16
under 20 if they stay in approved education or training
It’s paid every 4 weeks (usually on Monday or Tuesday) and there’s no limit to how many children you can claim for.
By claiming Child Benefit:
you can get National Insurance credits which count towards your State Pension
your child will automatically get a National Insurance number when they’re 16 years old
Eligibility
Only one person can get Child Benefit for a child.
You normally qualify for Child Benefit if you’re responsible for a child under 16 (or under 20 if they stay in approved education or training) and you live in the UK.
You’ll usually be responsible for a child if you live with them or you’re paying at least the same amount as Child Benefit (or the equivalent in kind) towards looking after them, for example on food, clothes or pocket money.
You’ll stop receiving Child Benefit immediately if your child:
starts paid work for 24 hours or more a week and is no longer in approved education or training
starts an apprenticeship in England
starts getting certain benefits in their own right
How to claim
You can claim Child Benefit as soon as you’ve registered the birth of your child, or they come to live with you.
It can take 6 to 12 weeks to process a new Child Benefit claim (or longer if you’re new to the UK). Child Benefit can be backdated for up to 3 months.
Make a claim for the first time
Claim online Child Benefit: Make a claim - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) or
Fill in Child Benefit claim form CH2 if you cannot claim online and send it to the Child Benefit Office. The address is on the form.
If your child’s birth was registered outside the UK
When you send your claim form, include your child’s:
original birth certificate
passport or travel document used to enter the UK
When you send your claim form, certificates or passport, ask the post office for proof of postage - you might need to prove when you sent them. For your peace of mind, keep a copy of your passport and birth certificates if you are sending them by post.
Add a child to an existing claim
Call the child benefit helpline if:
your child is under 6 months old and lives with you
your child was born in the UK and their birth was registered in England, Scotland or Wales more than 24 hours ago
you’re a UK or Irish national and you’ve lived in the UK since the start of your claim
When you call, you’ll need your:
National Insurance number
child’s birth certificate
Child Benefit helpline
Telephone: 0300 200 3100