To claim Child Benefit, you'll need to fill in a claim form as fully and accurately as you can. This guide applies to the paper version of the Child Benefit claim form, and it can help you answer some of the main questions.
On this page:
Decide who should fill in the form. Usually whoever fills it in gets the payments. But you may be able to claim on behalf of someone else if they can't claim for themselves.
If you're a couple, it's usually best for the person who does most of the childcare to claim. But if your partner doesn't earn enough to pay National Insurance or isn't working, they might want to claim instead to protect their State Pension.
Getting Child Benefit on behalf of someone else
How claiming Child Benefit can protect your State Pension
You can find your National Insurance number on:
An example of a National Insurance number is QQ123456A.
If you don't have a National Insurance number - or you can't find it - send in the form anyway to avoid delays.
Find out how to apply for a National Insurance number
This question is about the country you have always lived in.
The United Kingdom (UK) is England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It does not include the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands.
It doesn't usually matter if you sometimes go to other countries on holiday or for work.
Child Benefit if you're living or working abroad
This question is about the country you live in most of the time.
It doesn't usually matter if you sometimes go to other countries on holiday or work.
Child Benefit if you're living or working abroad
You can't usually claim Child Benefit if you're subject to immigration control. This could be when you:
More about immigration control and Child Benefit if you're a new arrival to the UK
You can find their National Insurance number on:
An example of a National Insurance number is QQ123456A.
If you haven't claimed Child Benefit for your child or children before, you'll need to provide their birth or adoption certificate. If you haven't got it, send the form in anyway to avoid delays.
Get more information about Child Benefit and birth or adoption certificates
If you are not the child's parent but you are looking after the child, you can still claim Child Benefit. This also applies if you have a step child or a legally adopted child. But foster parents don't usually qualify.
Get information about Child Benefit if you adopt or foster a child
If the child lives with you but someone else gets the Child Benefit, the Child Benefit Office may be able to transfer payment to you. For example if you're separated and your child is now living with you. If it can be transferred, you may not get a payment until four weeks (and in some cases eight weeks) after you've made your claim.
If someone else has claimed Child Benefit for the same child that you are claiming for, the Child Benefit Office will contact you.
It's also a good idea to get any previous Child Benefit reference number you may have for the child you're making the claim for.
What happens if there is more than one claim for Child Benefit for the same child
How to find your Child Benefit number
You should answer 'No' to this question if your child doesn't live with you in the UK.
The person who your child lives with will usually get the Child Benefit even if you pay towards the cost of looking after them. This applies even if both of you make a claim for Child Benefit.
More about Child Benefit if your child lives with someone else
If you and another person both claim Child Benefit for the same child, only one of you can get it. You should try to choose between you who should be the one to claim. If you can't decide someone acting on behalf of the Commissioners for HM Revenue & Customs may decide for you.
What happens if there is more than one claim for Child Benefit for the same child
Only answer this question if you or your partner, if you have one, have an individual income of more than £50,000 a year.
You'll still be entitled to receive Child Benefit, but you'll need to decide whether to actually get the payments. This is because you may be liable to a tax charge called the 'High Income Child Benefit charge'.
It's important to still complete a Child Benefit claim form, even if you don't want to get the payments. This is because if you are entitled to receive Child Benefit it can:
High Income Child Benefit charge
How claiming Child Benefit can protect your State Pension
Child Benefit is usually paid every four weeks, but you can choose to be paid weekly in certain circumstances. You can get weekly payments if you're bringing up children on your own, or if you or your partner receive any of the following benefits:
Tick the box that applies.
If you get your Child Benefit paid weekly, you must tell the Child Benefit Office immediately if you stop:
Your payments may then change to every four weeks.
The bank account you want to use will need to be one of the following:
Your Child Benefit can't be paid into:
Find out more about accounts and how Child Benefit, tax credits and Guardian's Allowance are paid
Make sure you enter the sort code shown on your bank card or statements from your bank or building society.
Your account number is usually eight digits and is shown on your statements or cheque book. Please include any zeros, for example 00123456.
If your account is with a building society, or a bank that was a building society, you may have an extra reference number. This may be called any of the following:
If you are not sure which numbers to enter, check with your bank or building society.
Before you sign the declaration on the form, make sure:
The Child Benefit Office uses the form to decide if you can get Child Benefit. It's up to you to make sure the information is correct and as complete as possible.
If you give them incorrect information, you could get the wrong
payment and you may have to pay it back.
Send your claim form with the birth or adoption certificate in the pre-paid envelope, or to the address on the form.
Contact the Child Benefit Office if you need any further help or advice. You can do this by sending them a query online or you can phone the Child Benefit Helpline.
Send in your Child Benefit query online
Contact details for the Child Benefit Helpline
If your circumstances change after you make your claim, you must tell the Child Benefit Office.
Find out about how changes can affect your Child Benefit payment
When to expect your first Child Benefit payment
