Martin Lewis has issued a warning to parents to act now to avoid missing out on a £1,406.60 annual Child Benefit payment. The deadline to notify HMRC is August 31.
Who is eligible?
Parents or anyone bringing up a child can claim £27.05 a week in Child Benefit if they earn £60,000 a year or less. However, payments stop when a child turns 16 unless they are in approved full-time education or unpaid training, and parents must inform HMRC to continue receiving it.
What Martin Lewis says
Martin Lewis' Money Saving Expert warned on social media: "Child turned 16 and in full-time education or training? Act NOW to avoid losing Child Benefit." The MSE website adds that when a child turns 16, HMRC sends a letter asking if they are still in full-time education. Parents must reply or inform HMRC online before August 31 after the child's 16th birthday to keep payments.
What counts as approved education or training?
Approved education includes A-levels, NVQs, and home education, but not university degrees or BTEC Higher National Certificate qualifications. Approved training must be unpaid and includes traineeships, but not training that is part of a job contract. Once the education or training ends, payments stop automatically at the end of February, May, August, or November (whichever is soonest).
Extra 20 weeks and payment rates
In some circumstances, Child Benefit can be claimed for an extra 20 weeks, for example, if a child joins the armed forces or registers with a local careers service. In April 2026, Child Benefit rose by 3.8% to £27.05 a week for the first child and £17.90 for subsequent children, meaning a family with two children gets £1.65 more per week. Annually, this amounts to £1,406.60 for one child and £930.80 for additional children.
HMRC reminder
HMRC regularly reminds parents not to miss out, noting that since the earnings threshold increased from £50,000 to £60,000, some families think they earn too much to claim. Families can use the online Child Benefit tax calculator to check entitlement and apply. Claims can be backdated by up to 12 weeks.
