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Changes that may stop entitlement

Changes that affect you

Your Child Benefit will stop if you:

• leave your family home and stop paying money for your child
• leave the UK permanently
• leave the UK temporarily for more than eight weeks - or more than twelve weeks because you or a member of your family is ill, or died
• stop making contributions - of at least as much as the current Child Benefit - for a child who doesn't live with you
• start getting paid by a local authority - or in Northern Ireland a Health and Social Services Board or Trust - for a child you are looking after
• have your immigration status changed by the Home Office
• start paying social security contributions to a country outside the UK - or your partner does

Changes that affect your child - when your child is 16 or over

Your Child Benefit will stop if your child:

• leaves education or training that counts for Child Benefit
• leaves education or training that counts for Child Benefit, and starts work for 24 hours a week or more - that they get or expect to be paid for
• starts education which is provided through work or training provided by a contract of employment
• starts a training course that's not 'approved'
• starts an advanced education course leading to a qualification like a degree
• turns 20 years old - Child Benefit stops completely when your child reaches 20
  

• Child Benefit if your child is in further education or training

You stop being responsible for your child

Your Child Benefit may also stop if your child:

• hasn't been living with you for more than 8 weeks
• leaves the UK permanently or for more than 52 weeks
• leaves the UK temporarily for more than 12 weeks
• starts getting benefits in their own right - this will stop payment

Changes that mean you'll get more Child Benefit

You might get more Child Benefit, for example if you have a new baby or another child comes to live with you.

Changes that may delay your payments

Child Benefit payments go directly into your bank, building society or Post Office® card account.

It's important to tell the Child Benefit Office if you change your account, or your payments will go to the wrong place. There will be a delay until you have told them about your new account.

You also need to tell the Child Benefit Office if you move. If they can't contact you, your payments may stop until they know where you are living.

Changes that can affect how often you are paid

The Child Benefit Office usually pays Child Benefit every four weeks. You can choose to have it paid weekly if:

• you are bringing up children on your own
• you or your partner are getting Income Support, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance or income-related Employment and Support Allowance or Pension Credit
• you are finding it difficult to manage or make ends meet

Changing from weekly to four-weekly payments

You can ask the Child Benefit Office to change your weekly payments to four-weekly payments at any time. If the reason you're getting weekly payments changes you must tell the Child Benefit Office. For example, you or your partner may stop getting Income Support.

If you haven't reported a change - what happens?

You must get in touch with the Child Benefit Office as soon as there’s a change in your or your child's life.

If you have forgotten to tell them, it's best to do it straightaway. This way you'll get the right amount of Child Benefit and you may not have to pay back any that you are not entitled to.

What will the Child Benefit Office do next?

The Child Benefit Office decides if your Child Benefit is affected by changes in circumstances.

If the change means that your Child Benefit will stop, they’ll write and tell you.

The letter will tell you when your payments will stop. It also lets you know what you can do if you are unhappy with their decision.

If you have been overpaid

The Child Benefit Office will tell you if changes in your circumstances mean that they have paid you too much Child Benefit. For example, your child may have left home and they carried on making payments to you because they didn't know.

The Child Benefit Office may backdate the overpayment to when the change happened.

• Learn more about Child Benefit overpayments

How to report changes

You can report changes by:

• sending in an online form – follow the link below
• calling the Child Benefit Helpline
• writing to the Child Benefit Office

• Report changes online to the Child Benefit Office Opens new window

• Contact details for Child Benefit

More useful links

• Child Benefit - which changes you need to report

Useful contacts

• Money, tax and benefits contacts

• Contact details for Child Benefit