Child benefit claims can be made online for the first time since they were introduced in the 1970s, marking an end to paper applications
New parents can now claim child benefit online for the first time since it was launched 47 years ago, HMRC has announced.
Since 1977, families claiming child benefit had to fill out a paper form, post it, and wait as long as 16 weeks for their first payment. Now, the quick and easy claims process on gov.uk takes about 10 minutes and payments could be made in as little as three days.
Child benefit is worth £24 a week – or £1,248 a year – for the oldest, or only child. The rate for each additional child is £15.90 a week – or almost £827 a year. Claims can be backdated for up to 12 weeks.
Suzanne Newton, HMRC’s interim director general for transformation, said: ‘We know how much parents and guardians rely on child benefit to help with essential costs. We’ve made it far easier and quicker for families to claim this crucial help by making it digital. Parents and guardians can apply online when it suits them and be paid within days, not weeks.’
Natalie Smith, blogger, Frugal Mum, said: ‘No more paper forms for new parents - hurray! You can complete your application when it suits you online at gov.uk and your child benefit can be backdated by up to three months – so don’t put it off.’
Parents or guardians can get child benefit if they are responsible for bringing up a child who is under 16, or under 20 if they stay in approved education or training. There is no limit on the number of children parents can claim for.
Claiming child benefit means that the parent will receive National Insurance credits which count towards their state pension. It also means their child will automatically receive a National Insurance number when they turn 16 years old, which they will need when getting their first job, taking a driving test and applying for university finance.
AJ Bell director of personal finance, Laura Suter, said: ‘Allowing families to claim child benefit online will save time and make the process simpler.
‘Child benefit is a tricky one to get to grips with, however, so don’t expect it to be entirely straightforward just because the process is now online. There are different rates and rules depending on how many children someone has, and whether both parents are living together as a family or they’ve separated.
‘In addition, only some families are eligible, depending on their earnings. Once one partner earns over £50,000, the benefit is gradually eroded, eventually being revoked entirely for those earning more than £60,000. Unfortunately, it doesn’t matter what your household income is, so a family with a single earner paid £60,000 gets nothing, whereas two parents paid £50,000 each can claim the full amount.’
A total of 683,000 families opted out of getting the payments, according to the latest figures, accounting for 1.05 million children. If these families had been eligible they could have claimed £1.15bn in additional support.
Tips for applying online
• parents can claim child benefit from the day after a child’s birth has been registered; make sure to have the birth certificate to hand when claiming.
• create a Government Gateway account when making a claim for child benefit, with a passport and other proofs of ID. This can also be done in advance of a child’s birth to save time later on. A full list of the documents needed for proof of identity can be found on gov.uk.
• when creating a new account, HMRC will send an activation code via email to activate the online application.
When ready to make the claim, applicants should have the following documents to hand:
• child’s birth certificate;
• your bank details;
• your National Insurance number; and
• your partner’s National insurance number (if you have a partner).
Families with adopted children, or whose child’s birth was registered outside the UK, can claim for child benefit online but will need to send additional information through the post to support their application.
Parents with children over three months old who have yet to claim are urged to do so as soon as possible as they can receive up to three months’ backdated child benefit. Parents with children over six months’ old may be required to download and print their completed claim form and send it through the post.