The government announced some changes to child benefit from April 2024…
Recent changes to the High Income Child Benefit Charge level means that more families can now claim child benefit payments, with the government expecting overall changes to help more than half a million families.
If you are responsible for raising a child who is under 16 or under 20 and in approved education or training, you may be eligible to receive child benefit.
From April 2024, those with a salary of £60,000 annually (per parent) can now receive the full rate of child benefit, without any reduction (an increase from the previous £50,000). However, if one parent earns more than £60,000 annually, the rate of child benefit is affected, with payments disappearing altogether at the £80,000 per annum mark.
On 6th April 2024, the rate of child benefit rose from £24 per week to £26.50 per week for the eldest/only child. For each subsequent younger child, the rate rose from £15.90 to £16.95 per week.
Claiming child benefit for a child under the age of 12 means you automatically get National Insurance credits, which count towards your state pension. These credits can help fill in gaps in your NI records if you have not been working/are not working or do not earn enough to pay NI contributions. The government advises that in these circumstances you should still fill in the child benefit claim form, even if you opt out of getting payments, so that you can get NI credits.
