Child Benefit is worth £25.60 a week for your first child, then £16.95 a week for any additional child you may have, and is paid on Mondays and Tuesdays
Child Benefit payments due today have been delayed because of Christmas and New Year.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) recently confirmed some payments will arrive on different days – this includes Child Benefit. Parents and guardians normally receive Child Benefit payments on Mondays and Tuesdays. However, if you’re due a payment today (Monday, December 30) then the DWP has confirmed you’ll be paid on Tuesday, December 31.
Other benefit payments have also been impacted by the Christmas and New Year period. Universal Credit payments due on Wednesday, January 1, will be paid a day earlier on Tuesday, December 31. Other benefit payments, including Tax Credits, that are due on Wednesday, January 1, or Tuesday, January 2, may also be paid early.
You will be paid in your normal bank account where your benefits are regularly paid. The amount you’re due to be paid will also remain the same unless your personal circumstances have changed. Child Benefit is worth £25.60 a week for your first child, then £16.95 a week for any additional child you may have.
This means for one child, this benefit is worth £1,331.20 a year, or for two children, you will get £2,212.60 a year. You normally receive it straight into your bank account every four weeks, paid by HMRC. In order to claim Child Benefit, you have to be responsible for someone under the age of 16 – however, you may be able to keep on claiming until your child turns 20 if they stay in approved education or training.
You need to live in the UK and be responsible for a child – this usually means they live with you, or you pay at least the same amount as Child Benefit towards looking after them. If two people look after a child, only one person can claim Child Benefit. You can claim Child Benefit if you fostered a child, as long as the local council is not paying anything towards their accommodation or maintenance.
If you or your partner earn less than £60,000 per year, you can claim the full amount of Child Benefit – the rates we mentioned above. But if one of you earns over £60,000, you have to pay some of the benefit back at a rate of 1% for every £200 you earn over £60,000 – this is known as the High Income Child Benefit Charge. Earn over £80,000 and you’ll need to pay back 100% of your Child Benefit – meaning you don’t get anything.
What if I don’t get paid?
If you don’t receive your Child Benefit tomorrow, you should contact the relevant helpline:
Child benefit:
