Child benefit is available to anyone responsible for a child under the age of 16 or under the age of 20 if the child is still in approved education or training.
To qualify for child benefits, you must also meet the following criteria:
- You must be living in the UK
- You must be responsible for the child’s care
- You must be bringing up the child for at least one year
- You must be either the child’s parent or have responsibility for the child (such as a legal guardian)
You may still be eligible to claim child benefit if you or your partner earn more than 50,000 pounds annually. However, you will have to pay it back with extra income tax.
For example, you will pay back at least 1% of every 100 pounds over your income of £50,000, so claiming child benefit may not be viable for some families.
It’s also worth noting that if you receive certain other benefits, such as universal credit, your child benefit may be reduced or included in your overall benefits payment.
Child Benefit Form & Document Download
All our child benefit forms come directly from the gov.uk website.
To download the child benefit form, simply click any of the provided links below, and the application form will be downloaded onto your device.
Complete the Child Benefit Form Online
To complete any child benefit forms online, you must download them to your chosen device. Once downloaded, you will need to open the form with Adobe Reader.
Once you have completed the form, you can save it to your device, and you can then send it to the gov.uk child benefit office at the address below:
https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/shortforms/form/CBO_General
You may also be required to send in the birth certificate for your child. You can speak to a representative to find out if you can scan the documents or send in the original to DWP.
Printing and Sending Your Child Benefit Form
If you followed the steps above, you should have your child benefit form saved to your device. Open the form with any PDF viewer and select print.
Once completed, you will need to send it to the following address:
HM Revenue and Customs – Child Benefit Office
PO Box 1
Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE88 1AA
United Kingdom
What Is the Child Benefit Rate?
The current child benefit rate for 2023/2024 is as follows:
Your 1st child: £24.00 (Week) or £96.00 (A Month)
Second child £15.90 (Week) or £63.60 (A Month)
There are now as of April 2017 restrictions on how many children you can claim child benefit for, if your children are born on or after April 2017 and you already claim for two or more children you are no longer entitled to claim for any further children.
If you are already have an active claim for three or more children prior to April 2017, you will still receive your entitlement until your children are 16 or until they have left higher education.
Child Benefit Contact Number and Address
For general child, benefit inquiries, use the contact number below.
Number: 0300 200 3100 (Charged your standard rate)
Outside of the UK: +44 161 210 3086 (Standard Rates Apply)
Lines are open from Monday to Friday 8AM to 8PM
Saturday Open from 8AM to 4PM
Lines are closed on Sundays
Child Benefit Office Address:
HM Revenue and Customs – Child Benefit Office
PO Box 1
NE88 1AA
United Kingdom
Child benefit and Universal Credit
Child benefit is a separate benefit compared to universal credit, and you can claim child benefit separately from new or existing universal credit claim. Your child benefit payment will be independent of any other claim you make with the DWP.