Child Benefit payments will stop for thousands of parents unless they act now

Thousands of parents will have their Child Benefit payments stopped next month unless they update their claim.

Child Benefit is worth £26.05 a week for your first child, then £17.25 for any additional child. You can claim Child Benefit if you're responsible for a child under the age of 16, or if they are under the age of 20 and still in approved education or training.

If they are continuing with education or training after the age of 16, then you need to notify HMRC and update your benefit claim. This is because your Child Benefit will automatically stop on August 31 on or after your child’s 16th birthday.

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You also need to let HMRC know if your child leaves their approved education or training before the course is complete. Approved education or training can include A-Levels, NVQs or even home education, but it does not include university or BTEC qualifications.

Child Benefit is claimed by more than seven million families. It is paid every four weeks, on a Monday or Tuesday, by HMRC.

In order to be eligible for Child Benefit, your child normally has to live with you, or you pay at least the same amount as Child Benefit toward looking after them.

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, or if you adopted your child.

You may also be entitled if you're looking after a child for a friend or relative. There is no limit for how many children you can claim Child Benefit for, but if two people look after a child, only one person can claim Child Benefit.

If you, or your partner, are on a high income, then you may have to pay back some of your Child Benefit. If either you earn over £60,000, you have to pay back 1% of your Child Benefit for every £200 you earn over £60,000.

This is known as the High Income Child Benefit Charge. Once you earn over £80,000, you pay back 100% of your Child Benefit. The upcoming bank holiday on Monday, August 25 means some Child Benefit payments will be issued on a different day.

If you’re due a Child Benefit payment on Monday, August 25, you’ll receive your money on Friday, August 22 instead. The amount you get paid will not change.

If you live in Scotland, there is another bank holiday on Monday, August 4. Those who are due a Child Benefit payment on this date will be paid later, on Tuesday, August 5, instead.