Child Benefit payments will automatically stop unless claims are extended by August 31 (Image: Getty)
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is axing payments of £1,406.60 per year for UK households claiming Child Benefit from September 1 if they miss an upcoming deadline.
The government department has warned that parents of 16 to 19-year-olds must extend their Child Benefit claim by Monday, August 31, if their teenager is staying in certain types of education or training after their GCSEs or National 5s, or payments will automatically stop. Child Benefit is currently worth £27.05 per week for the eldest or only child, meaning claimants can get up to £1,406.60 annually from HMRC to help with childcare costs. Larger families can get even more at a rate of £17.90 per week (or £930.80 annually) for each additional child, and as there’s no limit for the number of children you can claim for – other than the Benefit Cap – it’s a cash boost that is well worth having.
But HMRC has warned these payments will automatically stop at the end of this month unless parents confirm if their teenager is staying in education or training next year, meaning no futher payments from September 1 onwards.
HMRC sent out around 1.5 million reminder letters to households earlier this year and opened its digital service for extending on April 1, allowing parents who already know their teenager’s plans to act now.
Child Benefit can continue for teenagers studying full-time in non-advanced education, or on unpaid approved training courses, and according to HMRC, 874,000 parents extended their Child Benefit claim last year, with more than half doing so online or through the HMRC app.
Failure to extend claims by August 31, either online via the HMRC website or through the HMRC app, will mean payments will automatically stop on this date, or after a child’s 16th birthday, unless parents confirm their teenager’s plans.
As such, those who miss the deadline to extend their claim will miss out on at least £1,406.60 per year from HMRC from September 1 to help with childcare costs.
With less than a month to go before the deadline, HMRC has today (August 4) issued a reminder on X for parents to act. The tax office said: “Has your child recently received their #SQA results?
“If they’re staying in education or training next year, you’ll need to update your Child Benefit claim on the HMRC app or online by 31 August. Don’t miss out on up to £1,406 a year. “
Parents only need to act if their teenager is starting a new course or qualifying training in September. Those already partway through a course previously notified to HMRC don’t need to do anything.
Claim extensions can be made on the HMRC app or online at GOV.UK. The letters sent out by HMRC also include a QR code linking directly to the digital service.
In cases where a Child Benefit claimant or their partner has an individual income of between £60,000 and £80,000, the higher earner may be liable for the High Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC).
For claimants in the 2026/27 tax year, 1% of Child Benefit payments must be paid back to HMRC for every £200 earned above £60,000, while for households with higher earnings of £80,000 or more, all of the Child Benefit must be paid back to HMRC.
Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Chief Customer Officer, said previously: “Child Benefit is a real financial boost for families, so if your teenager already knows they’re staying in education or training after their GCSEs or National 5s, you don’t need to wait for our letter. You can extend your Child Benefit claim today in minutes via the HMRC app or online at GOV.UK.”