- 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
- Bank holidays and Child Benefit payments
- 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
- You haven't received your usual Child Benefit payment
Child Benefit rates
You get a higher rate of Child Benefit for your eldest or only child, and then a lower rate for any additional children. Guardian's Allowance is an extra amount that some people get on top of Child Benefit.
On this page:
- How much do you get?
- Annual increases
- What happens if two families join together, or a family splits?
- What happens if you think you've been paid the wrong amount?
- If you've received too little
- If you've received too much
- More useful links
How much do you get?
The amount of Child Benefit you'll get depends on how many children you're entitled to get Child Benefit for, and the current rates of Child Benefit.
The rates are as follows:
Who the allowance is for |
Current weekly amount |
|---|---|
Eldest or only child |
£20.00 |
Additional children - per child |
£13.20 |
Guardian's Allowance - per child |
£14.10 |
Annual increases
When you start getting Child Benefit you'll get paid at the rates for the current year. The amount you receive usually goes up in April each year. If the rates do change, you'll normally get a letter some time between December and March telling you how much you can expect to get during the next tax year.
What happens if two families join together, or a family splits?
Only one child in your family, or extended family, qualifies for the higher rate of Child Benefit. If two families join together, your eldest child is the one who qualifies for the higher rate. If you are entitled to Child Benefit for any of your other children in the new family you will get the lower rate for each of them.
If a family splits up you can get the higher rate for your eldest child, as long as you still qualify for Child Benefit for them.
What happens if you think you've been paid the wrong amount?
If you think the amount of Child Benefit you've received is wrong, either too much or too little, you need to tell the Child Benefit Office straight away. You can do this online by following the link below.
Alternatively, you can call the Child Benefit Helpline on Tel 0845 302 1444 or Textphone 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 live outside the UK you can call on Tel + 44 161 210 3086.
You can also write to:
Child Benefit Office
PO Box 1
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE88 1AA
The Child Benefit Office can reply in a special format if you ask them to, such as Braille, audio cassette or large print.
Send in your Child Benefit query online
If you've received too little
If the Child Benefit Office has paid too little money into your account, they'll make another payment to you or add the money they owe you to your next payment. Either way, they'll contact you to let you know what they're going to do.
If you've received too much
If they've paid you too much for any reason, for example because you didn't tell them about a change in your circumstances, you may have to pay back the extra.
Find out about Child Benefit overpayments
More useful links
Read about Guardian's Allowance
