Don’t miss out on support if your teen is staying in education or training

Parents of 16 to 19-year-olds have been urged to extend their child benefit claim if their child is staying in education or training.

Child benefit automatically stops on 31 August on or after a child’s 16th birthday unless it’s extended.

So between April and July, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is sending about 1.5m letters to parents reminding them to extend their claim if their teenager is either staying in full-time education or approved training after finishing their GCSEs.

If parents don’t extend their claim, they’ll miss out on support that they’re entitled to get.

How do I extend my claim?

If this applies to you, you can extend your claim:

• via the HMRC app
• online on GOV.UK
• or by scanning the QR code on your letter, which takes you to GOV.UK

How much is child benefit?

Child benefit is currently worth:

• £27.05 a week for the eldest or only child
• £17.90 a week for each additional child

“Child benefit is a real financial boost for families,” said Myrtle Lloyd, director general for customer services at HMRC.

“If your teenager already knows they’re staying in education or training after their GCSEs or National 5s, you don’t need to wait for our letter.” 

Last year, more than 874,000 parents extended their child benefit claim for their teen.