Over 1.4 million households will soon receive a letter from HMRC, reminding them to renew their Child Benefit claim for teenagers continuing their education or training after the Scottish Nationals exam results are published by the SQA on August 6.
Each letter will come with a QR code that directs recipients to the GOV.UK website and allows them to update their claim faster and easier online.
HMRC Urges Parents to Extend Child Benefit for Children in Education Before Deadline
Child Benefit provides up to £1,331 per year for the first or only child and up to £881 per year for each additional child.
Payments will automatically cease on or after August 31 once the child reaches the age of 16, unless parents renew their claim or their child continues to pursue education.
For 16-19-year-olds planning to pursue approved education or training, parents can use the online service available on the GOV.UK website or the HMRC app to make sure they do not miss out on benefits.
Child Benefit can still be paid for children who are studying full-time in approved non-advanced education, this includes:
- A-levels or Scottish Highers.
- International Baccalaureate.
- Home education — if it began before a child turned 16, or after 16 provided that they have a statement of special educational needs that has been assessed by the local authority.
- NVQs, up to level 3.
- Technical levels.
Child Benefit will also be provided for children enrolled in one of these unpaid approved training programs:
- Scotland: Employability Fund programme and No One Left Behind.
- Northern Ireland: PEACEPLUS Youth Programme 3.2, Training for Success or Skills for Life and Work.
- Wales: Foundation Apprenticeships, Traineeships or the Jobs Growth Wales+ scheme.
In the case a child changes their mind regarding further education or training, parents can simply notify HMRC online or through the app and payments will be updated accordingly.
Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, stated: “Child Benefit is an important financial support for many families, so make sure you don’t miss out on any payments if your teenager intends to continue approved education or training. You can quickly and easily extend your claim online or via the HMRC app.”
Parents will have until August 31 to act, or their payments will automatically cease.
How to Avoid Payment Interruption?
According to HMRC, the quickest way to avoid payments interruptions is to update the information online or via the official app. Those who do not receive a letter by July 17 can still prolong their Child Benefit claim via the GOV.UK website or the HMRC app.
To access HMRC’s online services, parents must have a Government Gateway user ID and password. If they haven't registered yet, they can do so on GOV.UK and will only need their National Insurance number or postcode, along with two forms of ID.
