Child Benefit - changes you need to report

In this section:

Child Benefit - which changes you need to report
How changes can affect your Child Benefit payments
How to change your bank account details for Child Benefit payments
Child Benefit if your child dies
Child Benefit if one or both parents die

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Child Benefit - which changes you need to report

Child Benefit - which changes you need to report

It's important to let the Child Benefit Office know of any changes in your circumstances as soon as possible. This will make sure you get all the money you're entitled to without any delays, and also that you don't get overpaid and have to pay some back.

Changes to do with you

Some changes in your circumstances can affect your entitlement to Child Benefit. You must tell us as soon as possible if any of the following changes happen.


Type of change	You must tell us if:
Family changes	you marry, form a civil partnership, or start living with a partner you stop living with a partner and you're both getting Child Benefit you have a baby another child comes to live with you you start getting paid by a local authority, or in Northern Ireland a Health and Social Services Board or Trust, for a child you're looking after
Bank account, name or address changes	you want to change the account your Child Benefit is paid into you've changed your name or address
Contributions to a child change or stop	you stop paying money or making contributions for a child who doesn't live with you or is in hospital for more than 84 days you go into hospital or prison for more than eight weeks and you stop making contributions for your child
Absence from the UK	you or your partner leave the UK permanently or for more than 52 weeks you leave the UK temporarily for more than eight weeks, or more than 12 weeks because you or a member of your family is ill, or died you lose your right to reside in the UK
Other changes	you or your partner start to pay social security contributions to, or get social security benefit from, a foreign country you leave Great Britain to go to Northern Ireland permanently, or Northern Ireland to go to Great Britain permanently

Changes to do with your child

Some changes in your child's circumstances can affect your entitlement to Child Benefit. You must tell us as soon as possible about any of the following changes.


Type of change	You must tell us if your child:
Changes in your child's education or training	leaves relevant education and starts working 24 hours a week or more, and they get or expect payment leaves relevant education or training earlier than the date you told us stays in relevant education after the date you told us they would leave starts relevant education that's been provided by an employer or as part of any other job or role that they have is aged 15 or over and can't go to school, college or relevant training reduces the time they get supervised study at school or college to 12 hours a week or less starts a higher education course leading to a qualification like a degree starts being educated at home and is 16 or over starts relevant training that's provided by their employer starts a training course that's not approved is 19 and starts a different course of relevant education or training
Your child's away from home	has lived away from you for more than 56 days in any 16 week period has for at least one day each week in the last eight weeks been looked after by a local authority (in Northern Ireland, a Health and Social Services Board or Trust), a voluntary organisation, or held in secure or non-secure accommodation leaves the UK permanently or for more than 52 weeks leaves the UK temporarily for more than 12 weeks leaves Great Britain to go to Northern Ireland permanently, or Northern Ireland to go to Great Britain permanently is in hospital or residential care for 12 weeks or more because they're ill or disabled and you will not be regularly spending money on them
Other changes	changes their name starts receiving benefits in their own right marries, forms a civil partnership or starts to live with a partner is held in legal custody for more than eight weeks goes missing

If your child dies

You will need to let us know if your child dies. It will be a difficult time for you but we can usually carry on paying you Child Benefit for up to eight weeks after the date your child died. This may help with extra costs you face at this time.

Child Benefit if your child dies

How to report the changes

You can tell us about any changes in your - or your child's - circumstances by:

sending us an online form from our website
contacting the Child Benefit Office

You can contact the Child Benefit Helpline on Tel 0845 302 1444 or textphone Tel 0845 302 1474. The Helpline is open between 8.00 am and 8.00 pm, seven days a week, except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day. If your preferred language is Welsh you can call on Tel 0845 302 1489, and if you are telephoning from outside the UK you can call on Tel 0161 210 3086.

Or you can write to us at:

Child Benefit Office
PO Box 1
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE88 1AA

Let us know about changes online that may affect your Child Benefit