If you think something's gone wrong with your Child Benefit, there's plenty of support and advice available to help check what's happened and sort out any problems.
On this page:
If you had a Child Benefit claim form but can't find it you'll need to get another and send it to the Child Benefit Office.
The easiest way of getting a new Child Benefit claim form is online. You can fill in the form on screen and print it out. You’ll still need to post it to the Child Benefit Office, at the address printed on the form.
Get a Child Benefit claim form to fill in on screen and print out
You can also get a claim form from the Child Benefit Helpline if:
Contact details for the Child Benefit Helpline
If your preferred language is Welsh, you can print out a blank Child Benefit claim form in Welsh, and fill it in by hand.
Get a blank Welsh Child Benefit claim form to print out (PDF 120K)
Sometimes you might not get a Child Benefit payment when you're expecting one. Or you might suddenly get less than you were expecting.
For example, perhaps you're:
If the Child Benefit Office normally makes payments straight into your account, it could just be that it's not showing in there yet. Or it could be that they've got the wrong account details for you.
Maybe you're not sure when your next Child Benefit payment's due. If you're not sure, you can check the payment date online.
Check when your next Child Benefit payment's due
You haven't received your usual Child Benefit payment
When you can expect your first Child Benefit payment
Understand why your Child Benefit payments might have gone down or stopped
The amount of Child Benefit you'll get depends on:
You don't get the same amount for each of your children. You get more for your eldest or only child than for any of your other children.
Check the current Child Benefit rates
If you've checked the current rates and you still think you're getting the wrong amount, please tell the Child Benefit Office as soon as possible. You can contact them online following the link below, or you can call the Child Benefit Helpline.
Let the Child Benefit Office know why you think the amount's wrong - perhaps your circumstances have changed for example. They'll check everything and make sure you get the right amount as soon as possible.
Send a query online if you think the amount of Child Benefit you are getting is wrong
Contact details for the Child Benefit Helpline
If the Child Benefit Office has come to a decision you don't agree with you should contact them. You need to do this within a month of the date on the letter they sent you about their decision. You can ask the Child Benefit Office to:
It's your right to get a proper explanation about a Child Benefit decision.
If the Child Benefit Office checks your claim, they'll either change their decision if it was wrong, or leave their original decision as it is.
If you're still not happy, you can appeal against the decision. If you go ahead with an appeal, the Child Benefit Office will pass it on to an independent body to look at.
Find out how to appeal against a Child Benefit decision
If you're still not happy about the way the Child Benefit Office has handled your Child Benefit claim you can complain. You can make a complaint to them by phone or in writing. They'll do their best to deal with your complaint as quickly as they can.
Find out how to complain to the Child Benefit Office
Help with the Child Benefit claim form
Understand your Child Benefit Award Notice
Check which Child Benefit changes you need to report to the Child Benefit Office
