You can claim Child Benefit if you are responsible for a child under the age of 16, or under 20 if they are still in approved education or training
Child Benefit payments are rising from next week in a boost for millions of parents and carers.
You can claim Child Benefit if you are responsible for a child under the age of 16, or under 20 if they are still in approved education or training.
The child normally has to live with you, or you pay at least the same amount as Child Benefit toward looking after them.
Child Benefit payments will rise by 3.8% from April 6, 2026. This means the rate for your first child will increase from £26.05 a week to £27.50 a week.
The rate for any additional child will rise from £17.25 a week to £17.90 a week. Child Benefit is paid every four weeks by HMRC.
There is no limit for how many children you can claim Child Benefit for, but if two people look after a child, only one person can claim Child Benefit.
If you, or your partner, earn over £60,000, then you have to pay part of your Child Benefit back. This is known as the High Income Child Benefit Charge.
If either of you earn over £60,000, you pay back 1% of your Child Benefit for every £200 you earn over £60,000. Once you earn over £80,000, you pay back 100% of your Child Benefit back.
You can pay the high income charge through self-assessment or through your PAYE tax code. Child Benefit is claimed by more than seven million families.
It comes as the two-child benefit cap is also set to be axed next week. The two-child benefit cap restricts Universal Credit and Tax Credits payments for any third or subsequent child born after April 6, 2017.
If your first child was born on or after April 6, 2017, or you have a second child, the extra amount you get from Universal Credit is £292.81 a month per child.
This is rising to £303.94 a month from April 2026. Universal Credit claimants currently receive an extra £339 a month if their first child was born before April 6, 2017, then £292.81 a month for a second child.
A total of 1,665,540 children were impacted by the two-child benefit cap in April 2025, according to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
The two-child benefit cap is separate to the benefit cap, which is a limit on the total amount of benefit you can get.
