One-month child benefit warning to avoid losing payments

If your child is turning 16 soon, an important deadline is coming up that could affect your child benefit payments.

Child benefit usually stops automatically on 31 August after your child’s 16th birthday, unless you tell HMRC that your teen is staying on in approved education or training from September. Miss this, and your payments will stop.

What counts as approved education?

Approved education means full-time courses like A-levels, T-levels, Scottish Highers, or NVQs, plus some unpaid training programmes. But university studies or most apprenticeships won’t count.

How to keep your payments going

If your child is staying on in education or training, you must confirm this to HMRC before 31 August. It’s quick and easy to do online via GOV.UK or the HMRC app. And, if you’ve received a letter from HMRC, you can just scan the QR code to go straight there.

Missed the deadline? Don’t panic

You’ve got three months after 31 August to update HMRC and avoid losing payments. But the sooner you do it, the better.

What if your child leaves education or starts work?

If your child finishes their course early or starts working 24 hours or more a week, tell HMRC right away. Payments usually continue until the next “terminal date”, which happens every few months. If your child works 24+ hours a week, payments stop immediately.

What if your child goes back to education?

If your child leaves approved education but returns before their 19th birthday, you can restart your child benefit claim.