Parents who receive Child Benefit may experience changes to their payments due to the upcoming August bank holiday. Child Benefit is a government payment provided to individuals responsible for caring for children under 16, or under 20 if they are in approved education or training. The payment is £26.05 per week for the first child and £17.25 per week for each additional child.
Normally, Child Benefit payments are made on Mondays or Tuesdays. However, with the upcoming bank holiday on August 25, some payments will be issued earlier than usual. According to information on the GOV.UK website, if you are scheduled to receive Child Benefit on Monday, August 25, you will receive the payment on Friday, August 22 instead, with the amount remaining the same.
For those residing in Scotland, where there is another bank holiday on August 4, Child Benefit payments due on that date will be issued on Tuesday, August 5. The Child Benefit, paid every four weeks by HMRC, benefits over seven million families across the UK.
To qualify for Child Benefit, individuals must reside in the UK, and the child must typically live with them or have an equivalent amount spent on their care. There is no restriction on the number of children one can claim Child Benefit for, but only one person can claim for each child.
Child Benefit can also be claimed for fostered children if the local council does not contribute to their accommodation or maintenance. Additionally, children over 16 but under 20 can receive Child Benefit if they are in approved education or training for at least 12 hours per week, excluding courses financed by an employer.
High earners may be required to repay a portion of their Child Benefit. The full benefit is available if the individual or their partner earns below £60,000 annually. If earnings exceed £60,000, a percentage of the benefit must be repaid for each £200 earned over that threshold, with full repayment required once earnings surpass £80,000.
Child Benefit claims can be made 48 hours after a child’s birth registration or upon a child coming to live with the claimant. Claims can be backdated for up to three months from the application date.