If your child is ill or disabled and is in hospital - or residential care - in the UK or abroad, you can still get Child Benefit for up to 84 days. If it’s longer than that, you or your partner need to spend money on them to qualify.
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This is accommodation provided by the local authority for your child because he or she has mental or physical disabilities. It can also be accommodation that the local authority has provided because your child's health is likely to significantly suffer or get worse if accommodation isn't provided.
It's not the same as when the local authority or the Health and Social Services Board care for a child who isn't ill or disabled. You can find out more about Child Benefit for children who are in care but who aren't ill or disabled by following the link below.
Find further information about Child Benefit if your child is in care
If your child is in hospital or residential care for less than 84 days the Child Benefit Office will carry on paying Child Benefit. If it’s longer, you’ll only get Child Benefit if you or your partner spend money on them regularly.
You might spend money on:
You can sometimes get Child Benefit if your child didn't live with you before they went into hospital or residential care. But it depends on:
It doesn't matter whether they're in hospital for more or less than 84 days.
Find out what the current Child Benefit rates are
Your child might have several stays in hospital or residential care, for example if they've got to go in for a series of treatments. If there are 28 days or less between each visit, add together all the days in hospital or residential care to work out how long the hospital stay is. For example, your child might:
Add together both stays in hospital - 80 days and seven days - to work out how long your child has been in hospital altogether - 87 days.
You may get Child Benefit if your child is temporarily abroad getting medical treatment in hospital. 'Temporarily abroad' means that when your child left the UK their time away wasn't going to be for more than 52 weeks.
You'll carry on getting Child Benefit for up to 12 weeks if your child goes abroad temporarily to get medical treatment for:
You can sometimes carry on getting Child Benefit after 12 weeks if your child is still getting treatment abroad. But you would need to come back to the UK to still qualify and you or your partner would need to spend money on them regularly.
You might spend money on:
Your child might become ill or disabled after they leave the UK, for example during a holiday abroad. If they get treatment in a hospital abroad so their return to the UK is delayed, you'll carry on getting Child Benefit for up to 12 weeks from the date they left the UK.
You must tell the Child Benefit Office if either:
You can tell them online by using the link below, or you can call the Child Benefit Helpline.
Tell the Child Benefit Office online about your child's stay in hospital
Tell the Child Benefit Office online about your child's stay abroad
Contact details for the Child Benefit Helpline
Get details about tax credits if you or a member of the family goes into hospital
