CHILD BENEFIT RATES

You get Child Benefit if you’re responsible for one or more children under 16 (or under 20 if they stay in approved education or training). There’s no limit to how many children you can claim for.

Child Benefit stops 31 August on or after your child's 16th birthday if they leave education or training. It continues if they stay in education or training, but you must tell the Child Benefit Office.

High Income Child Benefit Charge — You will have to pay a tax charge if you (or your partner, whichever of you has the higher income) have an adjusted net income over £60,000 and you or your partner get Child Benefit. The charge is set at 1% of the Child Benefit received in the tax year for every £200 by which adjusted net income exceeds £60,000. Once income reaches £80,000, the charge is equal to 100% of the Child Benefit for the tax year.

If you're affected by the tax charge you can choose not to get Child Benefit payments, while still submitting a claim to protect your National Insurance record. Alternatively, you can carry on getting Child Benefit and pay any tax charge at the end of the tax year — either through Self Assessment, or, since a simplification introduced in September 2025, directly through PAYE, without needing to register for Self Assessment if that's your only reason for filing.

What counts as income — To work out if your income is over the threshold, you'll need to work out your 'adjusted net income'. Your adjusted net income is your total taxable income before any personal allowances and less certain tax reliefs, such as trading losses, donations to charity made through Gift Aid, and pension contributions.   >>> Child Benefit Calculator