In this section:
- Child Benefit rates
- When is your next Child Benefit payment due?
- When to expect your first Child Benefit payment
- Understanding your Child Benefit Award Notice
- Child Benefit payments stopped or gone down?
- How Child Benefit, tax credits and Guardian's Allowance are paid
- How to change your bank account details for Child Benefit payments
- Child Benefit overpayments
- You haven't received your usual Child Benefit payment
Child Benefit payments stopped or gone down?
There could be a number of reasons why your Child Benefit payments have stopped. It might be for the simple reason that your circumstances have changed and we don't know about them.
Why has your Child Benefit stopped?
There are several reasons why your Child Benefit payments may have stopped. These include:
- we've written to you but you haven't replied to our enquiry
- your child has turned 16 and you haven't told us if they are staying on in relevant education or training
- your bank account details have changed and you haven't told us
- you've changed your address recently and haven't told us
- your child has gone into care
- your child now lives with someone else
If you haven't replied to us
If we've written to you and you don't reply to the enquiry or our reminders, we'll stop your Child Benefit payment because we can't be sure of your whereabouts.
If your child has turned 16
In the school year that your child reaches 16 we'll contact you to find out if they're going to carry on in relevant education or training. If they are, we'll also ask for the date you expect them to leave. When you reply we'll tell you if we can continue paying Child Benefit.
We'll stop your payments from the first Monday in September if:
- you don't reply to us
- you tell us that your child isn't going to carry on in relevant education or training
If your payments have stopped but you still think your child qualifies for Child Benefit, contact us straight away.
Child Benefit if your child is in further education or training
If your bank account details have changed
If you've recently changed the details of the account we pay your Child Benefit into and you haven't told us, your payment will have been sent to your old account. You need to let us have your new details straight away so we can arrange to send future payments to the correct account.
How to change your bank account details for Child Benefit payments
If you've recently moved house
If you've recently moved house and haven't told us your new address, we may stop your Child Benefit payments because we can't contact you. You can prevent this from happening by letting us know in good time if you change your address.
Tell us about a change of address online
If your child has gone into care
Your child may have gone into the care of:
- a local authority in England, Wales or Scotland
- Health and Social Services Board or Trust in Northern Ireland
We may be able to pay Child Benefit for the first eight weeks in a row that your child's in care. After that, your payments may stop unless you still qualify for Child Benefit.
Child Benefit if your child is in care
If your child now lives with someone else
If your child lives with someone else, that person may also decide to make a claim for Child Benefit.
Sometimes we receive a claim from someone else and you won't know that this has happened until we write to tell you. We can't tell you who has made the claim though. Your payments may be suspended until it's clear who should get the money.
What happens when there is more than one claim for Child Benefit for the same child
What to do if you haven't got your payment
If you haven't had your payment and your circumstances haven't changed or your child isn't aged 16 or over, it is worth checking with your bank, building society or Post Office ® to see if there is a simple explanation.
What to do if you haven't received your usual Child Benefit payment
Contacting the Child Benefit Office
If you need to contact the Child Benefit Office you can send us your query online.
Alternatively, you can call 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 + 44 161 210 3086.
If you prefer you can write to us at:
Child Benefit Office
PO Box 1
Newcastle-upon-Tyne
NE88 1AA
Send us your Child Benefit query online
