HMRC is sending letters to more than a million parents to remind them that they must renew their claim for child benefit or risk losing their payments.
A £2,212 Warning Letter from HMRC to Take Action, or Payments Will Cease
Between 24 May and 17 July, 1.4 million parents will receive a notice from the tax authorities asking them to renew their claim for child benefit or face an automatic stop to payments in August.
This measure is necessary because child benefit, which amounts to £1,331 a year for the first child and £881 for each subsequent child, giving a total of £2,212, is only paid for children up to the age of 16 who are in full-time education.
Once the child has reached the age of 16, the allowance ceases to be paid unless the parents renew their claim.
To retain entitlement to the allowance after the age of 16, the child must continue in education or training until the maximum age of 19.
Parents will start receiving these letters on Friday and will need to submit their applications by 31 August.
HMRC warned: "Parents have until 31 August to take action or their payments will be automatically stopped. Notifying HMRC electronically that a child is continuing their education is the quickest way to resolve the issue, without the need to contact HMRC by phone or post.
"If a customer hasn't received their letter by 17 July, there's no need to worry - if they're eligible, they can still extend their child benefit claim via GOV.UK or the HMRC app."
Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC's managing director of customer services, stressed: "Child Benefit is vital financial support for many families. Make sure you don't miss out on payments if your teenager plans to go on to approved education or training."
"You can quickly and easily extend your claim online or via the HMRC app by searching for 'Child Benefit when your child turns 16' on GOV.UK."