{"id":112259,"date":"2025-08-27T16:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-27T15:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/?p=112259"},"modified":"2025-08-27T16:06:13","modified_gmt":"2025-08-27T15:06:13","slug":"act-august-31-or-risk-losing-child-benefit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/act-august-31-or-risk-losing-child-benefit\/","title":{"rendered":"Millions Urged to Act by August 31 or Risk Losing \u00a32,252 in Child Benefit Payments"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is urging millions of parents across the UK to act before August 31 to avoid losing up to \u00a32,252 in Child Benefit payments. The alert, supported by MoneySavingExpert (MSE), founded by finance expert <em>Martin Lewis<\/em>, targets parents of children who have recently turned 16 and are continuing in full-time education or unpaid training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.devonlive.com\/news\/cost-of-living\/hmrc-august-31-deadline-reminder-10452472\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.devonlive.com\/news\/cost-of-living\/hmrc-august-31-deadline-reminder-10452472\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">DevonLive<\/a>, the warning highlights the importance of confirming a child\u2019s ongoing eligibility to prevent automatic payment suspension. HMRC has reminded families that failure to respond on time may result in disrupted payments from September, even if the child remains eligible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Official Reminder for Parents With 16-Year-Olds<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The official message from MoneySavingExpert on X (formerly known as Twitter), issued as part of a wider public awareness effort to prevent benefit interruptions, reads:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Child turned 16 and in full-time education or training?<br><br>Act NOW to avoid losing Child Benefit!<br><br>To keep getting your payments, contact HM Revenue &amp; Customs by Sunday 31 August. \u2b07\ufe0f<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/7MmF3vx90d\">https:\/\/t.co\/7MmF3vx90d<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/e0kJ6Nd7vu\">pic.twitter.com\/e0kJ6Nd7vu<\/a><\/p>&mdash; MoneySavingExpert (@MoneySavingExp) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MoneySavingExp\/status\/1960228219925221415?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">August 26, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>Child turned 16 and in full-time education or training? Act NOW to avoid losing Child Benefit! To keep getting your payments, contact HMRC by Sunday 31 August.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>This follows a statement on <em>Gov.uk<\/em>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>As teenagers get their exam results, parents are urged to renew their Child Benefit claim by 31 August for payments to continue in September. Parents can quickly and easily extend their Child Benefit claim via the HMRC app or online to guarantee their payments.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>The reminder targets parents of teenagers who remain in approved education or unpaid training after turning 16, as Child Benefit does not continue automatically in these cases. To keep receiving payments, you must respond to HMRC\u2019s letter or update your status online before August 31.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What\u2019s at Stake: \u00a32,252, \u00a31,355 or \u00a3897<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Missing the August 31 deadline could result in a loss of \u00a31,355 annually for the first or only child, \u00a3897 per year for each additional child, or <strong>\u00a32,252<\/strong> annually for a family with two children. These amounts are based on the 2025\/26 Child Benefit rates, which are set at \u00a326.05 per week for the first child (totalling \u00a31,354.60 per year) and \u00a317.25 per week for each additional child (equivalent to \u00a3897 per year).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019re eligible for Child Benefit if your income is <strong>\u00a360,000 or less<\/strong>. If you earn between <strong>\u00a360,000 and \u00a380,000<\/strong>, you\u2019ll be affected by the high-income Child Benefit charge, which reduces the total amount received. Above <strong>\u00a380,000<\/strong>, you may have to <strong>repay the full amount<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even if income disqualifies you from receiving payment, <strong>claiming<\/strong> Child Benefit remains important for gaining <strong>National Insurance credits<\/strong>, which count toward your <strong>State Pension<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Claim and Key Deadlines<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You can claim Child Benefit 48 hours after registering your child\u2019s birth, or once a child comes to live with you. Claims can be backdated for up to three months from the date of application, but not beyond that period. Applications are accepted at any time until the child turns 16, or up to age 20 if they remain in qualifying full-time education or unpaid training. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Only one parent can claim Child Benefit per child. According to HMRC, if both parents attempt to claim at the higher rate for the same child, some of the money may have to be repaid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Education and Training That Qualifies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>According to MSE:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>You may still be able to claim Child Benefit even after your child turns 16, provided they remain in approved full-time education or unpaid training. However, this ISN&#8217;T automatic. When your child turns 16, HMRC will send you a letter asking if they&#8217;re still in full-time education.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>You&#8217;ll need to reply, or let HMRC know online, before 31 August after your child&#8217;s 16th birthday to keep getting your Child Benefit payments.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Approved education includes<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>A-levels<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>NVQs<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Home education<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>It <strong>does not include<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>University degrees<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>BTEC Higher National Certificate qualifications<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Approved training must be unpaid<\/strong>, and includes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Traineeships<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>(But not training provided as part of a paid employment contract)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Once the education or training ends, payments <strong>automatically stop<\/strong> at the end of:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>February<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>May<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>August<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>November<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Whichever comes first after the course ends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Renew Using Hmrc Tools<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You can easily renew or extend your Child Benefit claim using the HMRC app or through the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/child-benefit-16-19\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/child-benefit-16-19\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Gov.uk online portal<\/a>. These digital tools ensure payments continue without disruption and help avoid the risk of having to reapply or appeal for missed payments. HMRC encourages families to use these services to confirm or update their child\u2019s eligibility status before the deadline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Take Action Before August 31 to Keep Your Payments<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To avoid losing out on \u00a32,252, \u00a31,355, or \u00a3897 per year in Child Benefit, parents must confirm their child\u2019s educational status before Saturday 31 August. This applies to all children aged 16 or 17 who are continuing in qualifying education or training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If no update is provided, HMRC will suspend payments starting in September. The process is quick, accessible, and can be done entirely online or via the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/hmrc-income-tax-rules-you-might-have-missed\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"111994\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">HMRC app<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The alert, supported by MoneySavingExpert (MSE), founded by finance expert Martin Lewis, targets parents of children who have recently turned 16 and are continuing in full-time education or unpaid training.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":112266,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-112259","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-welfare","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33","no-featured-image-padding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112259","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=112259"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112259\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":112269,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112259\/revisions\/112269"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/112266"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=112259"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=112259"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=112259"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}