PARENTS who know their teenager’s plans in September are being urged to extend their claim now to continue to receive Child Benefit.
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has written to 1.5 million eligible parents reminding them to extend their Child Benefit claim for their 16 to 19-year-old.
Child Benefit is worth £26.05 per week – or £1,354.60 a year – for the eldest or only child and £17.25 per week – or £897 a year – for each additional child.
Child Benefit can continue to be paid for young people who are studying full time in non-advanced education as well as unpaid approved training courses.
More than 509,000 parents of teenagers, who are staying in full-time education or approved training, have already extended their Child Benefit claim.
A record-breaking 67 per cent have done it online to guarantee their payments will continue in September. Parents need to extend their claim by 31 August or payments will automatically stop.
Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s chief customer officer, said: “Teenagers can be expensive and Child Benefit is an important source of income for your household. As soon as you know what your teen is doing in September, don’t miss out. You can extend your claim in minutes through the HMRC app or online to ensure your payments continue.”
If either the claimant or their partner has an individual income of between £60,000 and £80,000, the higher earner will be subject to the High Income Child Benefit Charge.
For families who fall into this category, the online Child Benefit tax calculator provides an estimate of how much benefit they will receive and what the charge may be.
HMRC say the quickest and easiest way to ensure payments continue is to extend via the HMRC app or online through the digital service.
Parents can also scan the QR code in their reminder letter which will take them straight to the digital service.
