20 for UK households claiming Child Benefit in May. Due to bank holidays on May 4 and May 25, payments due on those dates will be issued on the preceding Fridays, May 1 and May 24, according to multiple reports. 25, multiple reports indicate.
60 per additional child, based on information from several sources. Child Benefit can be claimed by parents or guardians responsible for raising a child under 16, or under 20 if in approved education or training, according to major media sources. The benefit is usually paid every four weeks on a Monday or Tuesday, HMRC said.
The Treasury has a statutory duty to review Child Benefit rates annually in line with general price levels, according to James Murray, Chief Secretary to the Treasury. Parents may qualify for up to £2,000 per year via Tax-Free Childcare, where the government adds £2 for every £8 parents pay. For disabled children, Tax-Free Childcare provides up to £4,000 per year.
Tax-Free Childcare eligibility requires parents to be in work or returning to work, with children under 11, or 16 if disabled, multiple reports state. Eligibility depends on employment status, earnings, the child's age and circumstances, and immigration status, according to major media sources. Childcare providers must be approved and registered with schemes like Ofsted in England, multiple reports indicate.
Parents must confirm eligibility every three months to continue receiving Tax-Free Childcare, according to major media sources. Child Benefit payments can continue until age 20 if the child is in full-time education or approved training, but parents must notify HMRC to avoid automatic stoppage at age 16, HMRC said. Full-time education for this extension is defined as more than 12 hours per week on average.
Qualifying education includes A-levels, T-levels, GCSEs, NVQs up to level 3, and home education, according to multiple reports. University degrees and certain higher education courses do not qualify for extended Child Benefit, major media sources state. Parents earning £60,000 or more may need to pay back Child Benefit via the High Income Child Benefit Charge, HMRC said.
The income threshold for this charge is £60,000 for tax years from 2024-25 onwards, and £50,000 for earlier years, multiple reports indicate. If income is £80,000 or more, all Child Benefit must be paid back, according to several sources. The charge is 1% of Child Benefit for every £200 earned over the threshold, major media reports state.
Multiple reports indicate that people are being urged to check eligibility for Child Benefit, especially if earning less than £80,000. Claiming Child Benefit builds National Insurance credits towards State Pension, according to multiple reports. Child Benefit can be claimed 48 hours after registering a birth and backdated up to three months, several sources indicate.
Multiple reports indicate that Tax-Free Childcare can be used alongside 15 or 30 hours free childcare if eligible. To apply, you must open a Tax-Free Childcare account online, research suggests. If you are having difficulty with your Tax-Free Childcare account you can call the childcare service helpline, according to research.
To be eligible for the Tax-free Childcare Scheme, you must be working, and if you have a partner they must work too, and you must not be receiving any support through Universal Credit, research indicates. Usually both parents in a couple must work on an employed or self-employed basis and have an income of at least £2,643 each every three months for the 2026/27 period, research suggests. Recently self-employed people are allowed start-up periods where this income level doesn’t have to be met, or can use an average over the tax year, research states.
Periods on maternity leave, sick leave, paternity leave, parental leave, adoption leave and shared parental leave will count as being in work for any older children already enrolled in the scheme, according to research. Eligibility is limited to the last 31 days of leave where parents are claiming for a new child, whose birth or adoption led to the time off, research indicates. Research suggests that to be eligible the household must have one child under the age of 12, or a child with a disability under the age of 17, though there is some discrepancy in age limits for disabled children across different sources.
It will run according to the school year – so that disabled children will be eligible until the September after their 16th birthday, while other children will be eligible until the September after their 11th birthday, research states. Parents pay money into a childcare account, which the government tops-up by 25%, research indicates. This is limited to £500 every 3 months, or £1,000 if your child is disabled, according to research.
Tax-Free Childcare is a UK-wide scheme covering England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, research suggests. If you are due to start work or return to work soon, you do not have to wait until you start work to apply for Tax-Free Childcare, research states. Most parents who are eligible for Universal Credit can save more money using the childcare elements of this benefit instead of using Tax-Free Childcare, research indicates.