Child Benefit: UK parents warned to act within days to beat HMRC 2025 deadline and avoid losing payments
Miss the Deadline and you could wave goodbye to thousands in support 💸
- Parents have until 31 August to confirm eligibility for Child Benefit
- Missing the deadline could mean losing payments worth over £2,700
- Payments are worth £26.05 a week for the eldest child and £17.25 for each additional child.
- Claims can be updated via Gov.uk or by calling HMRC on 0300 200 3100
Parents across the UK have just days left to confirm their eligibility for Child Benefit, or risk losing payments worth thousands of pounds.
Families with children aged 16 to 19 who are continuing in education or training must update their details with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) before then.
If they don’t, payments will automatically stop, potentially costing households over £2,700 over the next two years.
When do I need to act by?
Child Benefit is paid to most parents to help with the costs of raising children. It’s available until a child turns 16 – or up to 20 if they remain in approved education or training.
The catch is that once a child hits 16, HMRC won’t keep paying unless you actively confirm their ongoing studies or training. Without that confirmation, payments will be cut off on 31 August.
So, you’ll need to let HMRC know that your teenager is staying on in education – for example, taking A-levels, Scottish Highers, T Levels or vocational qualifications up to Level 3 – so you can continue to claim.
Home education, certain traineeships, and other approved training schemes also qualify. The critical date to update you claim by is Saturday, August 31.
The weekly Child Benefit rates are:
- £26.05 for your eldest (or only) child
- £17.25 for each additional child
That’s £1,354.60 a year for one older child alone. If your child has two more years in education, you could lose out on £2,709.20 if you miss the renewal deadline. Given the financial hit of missing out, parents are urged not to leave it until the last minute.
Who is eligible to continue Child Benefit payments?
Education must be full-time – more than an average of 12 hours a week of supervised study or course-related work experience. Eligible options include:
- A Levels, International Baccalaureate, Pre-U
- T Levels
- Scottish Highers
- NVQs and other vocational qualifications up to Level 3
- Home education (in certain circumstances)
- Traineeships in England
Approved unpaid training can also count, such as:
- In Wales: Foundation Apprenticeships, Traineeships, Jobs Growth Wales+
- In Scotland: No One Left Behind programme
- In Northern Ireland: PEACE IV Children and Young People 2.1, Training for Success, Skills for Life and Work
If your child finishes approved education or training, you may still be able to claim Child Benefit for up to 20 more weeks – provided they either:
- Register with a local careers service (or equivalent in the EU, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein)
- Sign up to join the armed forces
You can extend your claim quickly at Gov.uk or by calling HMRC on 0300 200 3100.
Are you struggling to make ends meet as costs continue to rise? You can now send your stories to us online via YourWorld at yourworld.net/submit. It's free to use and, once checked, your story will appear on our website and, space allowing, in our newspapers.
With household expenses continuing to rise and energy bills still higher than pre-crisis levels, more people are turning to Utility Warehouse (UW) to save money. UW lets you bundle services like broadband, mobile, energy and insurance into one streamlined account—reducing hassle while unlocking multi-service discounts. The more you bundle, the more you save.
Customers benefit from a single monthly bill, up to £400 towards early exit fees, and access to cashback on everyday spending. UW also offers the UK’s cheapest variable energy tariff when bundled, helping shield households from further price hikes.