The child benefit rate rise: what does it mean for you?

Child benefit rates go up on 6 April, this coming Saturday. Families who currently claim child benefit are automatically going to get increased payment of:

• Families with one child will now get up to £1,331 a year
• For any additional children, families can get up to £881

There isn’t a limit to how many children families can claim for, and parents will get £102.40 every 4 weeks (£25.60 per week) for the first or only child and £67.80 every 4 weeks (£16.95 per week) for each additional child.

What’s changed?

The child benefit rates have risen from:

• £24.00 to £25.60 per week for the eldest or an only child
• £15.90 to £16.95 per week for other children

This is an extra £83.20 per year for one child and an extra £54.60 for any additional children.

Families with ongoing claims do not need to contact HMRC, as the increased benefit payment will continue to be paid directly into their bank accounts.

Parents with a newborn baby are encouraged to make a claim online as soon as possible, and this means they could get their first payment in as little as three days.

The claims can also be backdated by a maximum of three months.

How do I claim child benefit?

To claim you’ll need to:

• create a Government Gateway account, which requires identification proof.
• when creating a new account, HMRC will send you an activation code via email. Once received, you can then apply online.

Parents and carers who cannot apply online can claim by post or claim by phone.

Check if you’re eligible.

Other HMRC changes:

• From 6 April 2024, families where the highest earner has a salary of up to £60,000 a year will not be subject to the High Income Child Benefit Charge. Find out what this means for you.

• From April, working parents of 2-year-olds are now entitled to 15 hours a week of free childcare during term time.