Child Benefit is a regular payment from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for people responsible for bringing up a child. In the 2026/27 tax year it pays £27.05 a week for your eldest or only child and £17.90 a week for each additional child. You can claim it if you are responsible for a child under 16, or under 20 if they stay in approved education or training, and you live in the UK. Only one person can claim Child Benefit for each child, but there is no limit on how many children you can claim for.

Child Benefit is usually paid every four weeks, on a Monday or Tuesday, straight into your bank or building society account. It is worth claiming even if your household income is high, because claiming also protects your State Pension and gives your child a National Insurance number automatically. This guide explains the 2026/27 rates, who can claim, how to apply, what happens if you or your partner earn over £60,000, and when payments stop.

How much is Child Benefit in 2026/27?

There are two Child Benefit rates, and GOV.UK lists them as weekly amounts. For 2026/27, the rate for your eldest or only child is £27.05 a week, which works out at £1,406.60 over a full year. For each additional child, the rate is £17.90 a week, or £930.80 over a full year. The rates are usually reviewed each April, so always check the current figure on GOV.UK before relying on it for a budget.

If your family splits up, the higher rate follows the eldest child in each household. For example, if you have two children and one lives with you and the other lives with your former partner, you will each get £27.05 a week for the child living with you. If families join together, only one person in the household can claim at the higher rate for the eldest child, and the other children are paid at the lower rate. If you both claim at the higher rate by mistake, you may have to pay some of the money back, so report a change in your family circumstances to the Child Benefit Office.

Child Benefit payments count towards the benefit cap. If you are affected by the cap, you will still get the full amount of your Child Benefit, but your other benefits may be reduced. The payment is not the same as the two-child limit that applies to some Universal Credit claims: Child Benefit itself has no limit on the number of children you can claim for.

Who can claim Child Benefit?

You normally qualify for Child Benefit if you are responsible for a child under 16 and you live in the UK. GOV.UK says you will usually be responsible for a child if you live with them, or if you are 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.

The rules cover more situations than many parents realise. You can claim if you foster a child, as long as the local council is not paying anything towards their accommodation or maintenance. If you are adopting, you can claim as soon as the child comes to live with you, and you do not have to wait until the adoption process is complete. You may also be able to claim if you have an informal arrangement to look after a friend or relative's child, although you might not qualify if the local council is paying towards the child's accommodation or maintenance. If you are not sure, contact the Child Benefit Office before assuming you cannot claim.

Your child can still qualify after 16 if they stay in approved education or training until they are 20. If a 16 or 17-year-old leaves education or training and registers with a government-sponsored careers service or the armed services, you can apply for Child Benefit to continue for 20 weeks. Payments stop 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, or starts getting certain benefits in their own right, such as Employment and Support Allowance or Universal Credit.

Two people cannot get Child Benefit for the same child. If you and someone else are both responsible for the same child, agree between yourselves who will claim. If you cannot agree, HMRC will decide. If you have settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you can claim Child Benefit. The rules are different if you have pre-settled status, so check the GOV.UK page for your situation before applying.

How to claim Child Benefit step by step

You can claim Child Benefit 48 hours after you have registered the birth of your child, or once a child comes to live with you. Do not wait too long: Child Benefit can be backdated for up to three months from the date you make the claim, so a late claim can mean money lost for good.

The quickest route for most people is to claim online through GOV.UK, or through the HMRC app. Before you start, gather your child's birth or adoption certificate if you have it, your bank or building society details, your National Insurance number if you have one, and your partner's National Insurance number if you have a partner. You can still claim without a birth or adoption certificate, but it will take longer, and you may be asked to send the certificate as proof after you have registered. If you do not send it when asked, you may need to start the claim again.

If you cannot apply online, you can claim by post using the Child Benefit claim form CH2, or by phone. If your child's birth was registered outside the UK, you will need to send the original birth or adoption certificate and your child's passport or the travel document they used to enter the UK. Documents you send are usually returned within four weeks.

Decide carefully who in the household should claim. Only one person can claim for each child, but you and your partner can claim for different children. Whoever claims gets National Insurance credits towards their State Pension, which can fill gaps in their record if they are not working or do not earn enough to pay National Insurance contributions. If you are under 16 yourself, you can either claim for your own child or someone responsible for you can claim for them on your behalf, but you will usually get more if you claim yourself.

What is the High Income Child Benefit Charge?

If either you or your partner has an adjusted net income over £60,000, you may have to pay the High Income Child Benefit Charge. Adjusted net income is your total taxable income before any personal allowances, less things like Gift Aid, and it includes interest from savings and dividends. The charge is 1% of your Child Benefit for every £200 of income over £60,000, so the charge grows as income rises and reaches the full amount of the Child Benefit at £80,000. The charge will never be more than the amount you get from Child Benefit payments.

If both you and your partner have an individual income over the threshold, whoever has the higher adjusted net income is responsible for paying the charge. GOV.UK has a Child Benefit tax calculator that works out whether your income is over the threshold and how much charge you will have to pay. You normally pay the charge through Self Assessment, so check whether you need to register.

Here is the point many higher-earning parents miss: even if the charge takes back the whole payment, it is usually still worth making a claim and opting out of getting the payments. If you claim and opt out, you keep the other advantages of Child Benefit, including National Insurance credits and your child's National Insurance number, without having to pay the charge. You can restart your Child Benefit payments at any time if your income falls.

Why claiming protects your State Pension

If you claim Child Benefit and your child is under 12, you will get National Insurance credits automatically. These credits count towards your State Pension, so you do not have gaps in your National Insurance record if you are not working or do not earn enough to pay National Insurance contributions. That is one of the most valuable parts of Child Benefit, and it is easy to lose by not claiming at all.

If you do not need the National Insurance credits yourself, your family may still be able to benefit. Your husband, wife or partner can apply to transfer the credits, or a different family member who provides care for your child can apply for Specified Adult Childcare credits. Claiming also means your child will usually get a National Insurance number shortly before they turn 16, without having to apply for one.

What to do if your circumstances change

You must report any change of circumstances to the Child Benefit Office. That includes changes to your family life, for example getting married, and changes to your child's life, for example leaving education or training. If you want someone else to claim Child Benefit, for example your spouse or partner, contact the Child Benefit Office first and then tell the other person to make a new claim.

If you are paid too much or too little, contact the Child Benefit Office. If you disagree with a decision about your claim, you can challenge it by asking for a mandatory reconsideration, and you can complain to the Child Benefit Office if you are unhappy with the way you have been treated. Keep the letters and payment records for your claim, because they are the evidence you will need if a payment or a decision has to be checked.

Child Benefit is a straightforward benefit, but the details matter: claim promptly so you do not lose the three months of backdating, decide who should claim so the National Insurance credits go to the right person, and check the High Income Child Benefit Charge before deciding whether to take the payments or opt out. If your income or family situation is unusual, check the official GOV.UK page, because the rules change and the official page is the final word.

Frequently asked questions

How much is Child Benefit in 2026/27? It is £27.05 a week for your eldest or only child and £17.90 a week for each additional child. That is £1,406.60 a year for one child and £930.80 a year for each extra child.

When can I claim Child Benefit? You can claim 48 hours after registering the birth of your child, or once a child comes to live with you. Claims can be backdated for up to three months.

Can I claim Child Benefit if I earn over £60,000? Yes. You can still claim, but you may have to pay the High Income Child Benefit Charge, which reaches the full value of the payments at £80,000. You can claim and opt out of the payments to keep the National Insurance credits.

How is Child Benefit paid? It is usually paid every four weeks on a Monday or Tuesday, into one bank or building society account. You can have it paid weekly if you are a single parent or getting certain other benefits, such as Universal Credit.

When does Child Benefit stop? It stops when your child turns 16, unless they stay in approved education or training, in which case it can continue until they are 20. It also stops if your child starts full-time paid work, an apprenticeship in England, or certain benefits in their own right.