From April 2025, Child Benefit increases to £26.05 for the eldest child and £17.25 for others. Payments stop after a child turns 16 unless they continue in approved education or training. Parents must update HMRC by 31 August to avoid disruptions.
Taxpayers entitled to the child benefit should be aware that HMRC usually stop paying child benefit on the 31 August following a child’s 16th Birthday. Under qualifying circumstances, the child benefit payment can continue until a child reaches their 20th birthday if they stay in approved education or training. This must be confirmed to HMRC, or payments will stop.
Approved education must be full-time, with more than 12 hours per week of supervised study or course-related work experience. Approved education includes A levels, T levels, Scottish Highers, NVQs up to Level 3, home education (if started before 16 or after 16 with special educational needs), study programmes in England, and pre-apprenticeships. The course must be started before the child turns 19.
Child Benefit cannot be claimed if your child is:
- Studying for a university degree or BTEC Higher National Certificate (advanced course)
- On an apprenticeship (unless it’s a Foundation Apprenticeship in Wales)
- Undertaking a course with an employer’s agreement (e.g., to secure a job or gain skills for an existing job)
Approved training should be unpaid and can include:
- Wales: Foundation Apprenticeships, Traineeships, or the Jobs Growth Wales scheme
- Scotland: The No One Left Behind programme
- Northern Ireland: PEACEPLUS Youth Programme 3.2, Training for Success, or Skills for Life and Work
Courses that are part of a job contract are not approved.
HMRC sends a letter in your child’s last year at school asking you to confirm their plans. The letters include a QR code which, when scanned, directs them straight to GOV.UK to update their claim quickly and easily online. This can also be done on the HMRC app.
Parents have until 31 August 2025 to tell HMRC that their 16-year-old is continuing their education or training, and to continue receiving Child Benefit. No child benefit is payable after a young person reaches the age of 20 years.