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New parents urged to claim Child Benefit for their baby now

ended 18. May 2026

Parents are being urged to claim Child Benefit for their new baby to avoid missing out.

While more than 6.8 million parents received Child Benefit in the year to August 2025, only 68.8% of them claimed the crucial government support before their baby’s first birthday, the government has announced.

More than 140,000 babies were born between April and June last year and while many parents are enjoying new beginnings this Spring, the latest statistics show thousands of families could be missing out on much-needed cash by delaying their claim.

Child Benefit is worth £27.05 per week - or £1,406.60 a year - for the eldest or only child and £17.90 per week - or £930.80 a year - for each additional child, with no limit as to how many children parents can claim for.

Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Chief Customer Officer, said: "Spring is a wonderful time to welcome a baby and claiming Child Benefit as soon as possible means your family can benefit from much-needed financial support.

“It is quick and easy to claim Child Benefit via the HMRC app at a time that suits you.”

  • Why are thousands missing out Child Benefit?
  • How important is it?
  • Should more be done to raise awareness of it?

Responses asap.

4 responses from the Newspage community

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Philly Ponniah
Chartered Wealth Manager and Financial Coach at Philly Financial
One of the biggest misconceptions I see with high earners is that they assume Child Benefit is not relevant to them because of the income threshold. But even if you choose not to receive the payments, claiming it can still protect your State Pension record through National Insurance credits. That becomes incredibly valuable if one parent later takes time out of work for caregiving, reduced hours or career breaks. I always encourage couples to think strategically about who claims it. If one person is more likely to pause work in future, making sure they receive those credits can help protect their entitlement to the full State Pension later on. Awareness is still far too low. Many parents think Child Benefit is just about the weekly payment, when actually the long-term pension impact can be just as important. If you’re a higher earner and want to receive the credits but not the money, you just tick the box to not receive the funds.
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Anita Wright
Chartered Financial Planner at Ribble Wealth Management
There are likely two main reasons for the gap. The first is simply how busy and overwhelming the early weeks with a new baby can be, and paperwork tends to slip down the list. The second is lasting confusion around the High Income Child Benefit Charge, which has put many higher earners off claiming at all.
That is a costly misunderstanding. Even where the charge applies, registering a claim protects NI credits that count towards the State Pension for the parent who is not working or earning less. Over a lifetime, those credits can be worth far more than the Child Benefit payments themselves. Parents in this position can claim and choose to receive no payment, which keeps the NI credit in place without triggering the charge. This point is still not widely understood, and clearer information at the point of birth registration would help families avoid quietly damaging their future retirement income.
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Rob Mansfield
Independent Financial Advisor at Rootes Wealth Management
I suspect this is a combination of the pressures of life admin and the higher earner tax traps. Even if you earn so much that you don't qualify for child benefit, there is an option so that you still claim the credit towards the state pension. I suspect that some don't claim anything as they don't want the hassle of having to pay the benefit back. Children aren't cheap to bring up and so every little helps.
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Alex Norwood
Director at N2 Asset Management
A lot of parents probably assume Child Benefit is automatic after registering a birth, when in reality it still requires a separate claim. Others may delay because they believe they earn too much to qualify due to the High Income Child Benefit Charge, without realising there can still be advantages to claiming, particularly for National Insurance credits towards the State Pension.

It is more important than many people realise. Beyond the direct financial support, it can protect entitlement to future State Pension benefits for parents taking time away from work to care for children.

More awareness would definitely help, especially around the fact that even higher earners may benefit from claiming and opting out of the payments if needed. A simple prompt during birth registration or NHS processes could probably prevent many families missing out unnecessarily.