- 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
Understanding your Child Benefit Award Notice
When the Child Benefit Office awards you Child Benefit, they'll send you a letter – called an ‘Award Notice’ - telling you what you're entitled to. Check and keep the Award Notice to make sure you're always getting what you're entitled to.
On this page:
- What your Award Notice shows
- How the Child Benefit Office works out your Child Benefit
- How long do you get Child Benefit for?
- Can you backdate a Child Benefit claim?
- Bank account details
- If your circumstances change
- Keeping your Award Notice
- If you're not happy with the Child Benefit Office's decision
- More useful links
What your Award Notice shows
Your Award Notice has several sections showing:
- information about your Child Benefit - how much you'll get, who it's paid for, when your payments start and how they'll be paid
- details about how your Child Benefit is worked out
- any other important information about your award, for example if it includes an extra amount for Guardian's Allowance
- what to do if you've got a question about your award, or if you disagree with something
The Award Notice includes a reply slip you can use to tell the Child Benefit Office about any changes in your circumstances.
You'll also find the following information on your Award Notice:
- your Child Benefit reference number
- your National Insurance number
- the Child Benefit Office contact details
If you need to contact them, have your Child Benefit reference number and your National Insurance number to hand.
How the Child Benefit Office works out your Child Benefit
There are two different rates of Child Benefit:
- a higher rate for your eldest, or only, child
- a lower rate for each of your additional children
The Child Benefit Office works out your award based on how many of your children you're claiming for.
There's also an extra Guardian's Allowance available if you're caring for a child whose parents have died.
Check the current Child Benefit rates
Find out more about Guardian's Allowance
How long do you get Child Benefit for?
You can normally get Child Benefit until your child's 16 years old. You can sometimes carry on getting it until the 31 August following their 16th birthday and for much longer if your child stays on in education or training that qualifies for Child Benefit. Follow the link below to find out what training or education qualifies.
Find out more about Child Benefit if your child is 16 or over
Check what happens to Child Benefit if your child is in further education or training
Can you backdate a Child Benefit claim?
The Child Benefit Office can only backdate Child Benefit for up to three months. So it's important to claim as soon as possible after your child's born, or after a child you're responsible for comes to live with you.
For example, if you claimed Child Benefit two months after your child was born, The Child Benefit Office could backdate your award to their date of birth. But if you didn't claim until four months after they were born, they'd only be able to backdate your award for three months, to a month after their date of birth.
Bank account details
Make sure the Child Benefit Office is paying your Child Benefit into the right bank account - the one you told them to use.
If you want to change this, you'll need to tell them as soon as possible.
Find out how to change your bank account details for Child Benefit payments
If your circumstances change
You must tell the Child Benefit Office about any changes that might affect your payments including:
- a new baby
- moving house
- changing who you live with
Use the link below for a full list.
Check which Child Benefit changes you need to report
Keeping your Award Notice
Keep your Award Notice somewhere safe as you could need it if you apply for other financial support and you need to give:
- proof you're getting Child Benefit
- your Child Benefit reference number
If you're not happy with the Child Benefit Office’s decision
You can ask the Child Benefit Office to explain how they made their decision about your Child Benefit. You need to do this within one month of the date on your Award Notice.
Problems with your Child Benefit - where to start
