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The starting CTF payment

If your child was born between 1 September 2023 and 2 January 2011, and you get Child Benefit for them, they could qualify for a CTF account and get one of the amounts shown in the table below.

Children born before 1 September 2002, or on or after 3 January 2011, don't qualify for a CTF account and won't get any CTF payments.

You could get a higher starting payment if a local authority looks after your child. See the section 'A local authority looks after your child - extra CTF payments'.

You're on a low income - extra CTF payments

Your child could get an extra payment of £50 or £250 on top of the starting payment. The amount you will get will be the same as shown on your CTF voucher.

Your child could also get a further payment of £250 if they turned seven between 1 September 2023 and 31 July 2023 - as long as they were living in the UK. See the section ‘Your child turned seven before 1 August 2023 - extra CTF payments’.

To get these payments both of the following need to apply to you or your partner:

• you qualify for Child Tax Credit
• you are on a 'low income'

Child Tax Credit is paid if you are responsible for a child who normally lives with you. If you think you qualify for Child Tax Credit, you must make a claim for it within 12 months from the date of issue of your CTF voucher. Otherwise your child could lose out on the extra CTF payment.

'Low income' means your total income before tax (including that of any partner you may have) was:

• £16,190 or less between 6 April 2023 and 5 April 2023
• £16,040 or less between 6 April 2023 and 5 April 2023

Your total income includes, for example, the money you get from your employment, some state benefits and savings.

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) will pay these extra payments directly into your child's account after you have:

• renewed your tax credits (usually between April and July)
• been sent your final tax credits award notice

Your child could also qualify for the extra CTF payment if you, or your partner, get any of the following for your child:

• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
• Pension Credit
• Employment and Support Allowance

If you think your child is entitled to this extra CTF payment but you haven't been paid it, contact the Child Trust Fund Helpline.

• Contact details for the Child Trust Fund Helpline

• Understanding the Child Trust Fund voucher

• Tax credits, including Child Tax Credit

• How to find out if you qualify for benefits

Your child turned seven before 1 August 2023 - extra CTF payments

All age seven payments stopped on 1 August 2010.

Children who turned seven between 1 September 2023 and 31 July 2023 received an extra £250 payment, as long as they were living in the UK.

Children in low income families received an additional £250 on top of the age seven payment if they turned seven between 1 September 2023 and 31 July 2010.

If you haven't had the extra payment, contact the Child Trust Fund Helpline if both of the following apply:

• your child turned seven between 1 September 2023 and 31 July 2023
• your child was living in the UK when they turned seven
  
  

• Child Trust Fund Helpline

Your child qualified for Disability Living Allowance (DLA) before 6 April 2023 - extra CTF payment

Extra CTF payments for children who qualified for DLA stopped from 6 April 2011.

Your child may have qualified for extra yearly CTF payments because they were getting DLA. For this to happen, your child needs to have qualified for DLA between 6 April 2023 and 5 April 2011.

The amount of the extra CTF payment is shown in the table below.

HMRC should have made the extra payment directly into your child's CTF account by 30 June 2011.

If you haven't had the extra payment by that date and you think your child is entitled to it, contact the Child Trust Fund Helpline.

• Disability Living Allowance

• Child Trust Fund Helpline - contact details

A local authority looks after your child - extra CTF payments

If the local authority started looking after your child before Child Benefit was claimed, the normal starting payment will be doubled as follows:

• £500 - paid if your child was born between 1 September 2023 and 1 August 2023
• £100 - paid if your child was born between 2 August 2023 and 2 January 2024

If the local authority started to look after your child after Child Benefit was claimed, your child won't be entitled to any extra money. They will just get the normal starting payment.

If your child has been looked after for a full year

Your child could also get a further payment of £100 for every full year the local authority, or health trust, has looked after them. This applies only to children looked after between 1 April 2023 and 31 December 2010. These payments stopped from 1 January 2011.

The local authority or health trust should have made these payments directly into the child's CTF account. Contact your local authority, or health trust, if they haven't done this.

• Find your local authority

• Health Trust contact details - Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland website Opens new window

More useful links

• Managing or changing a Child Trust Fund account

• Adding money to a Child Trust Fund account

• Child Trust Fund: changes of circumstances you need to report