THOUSANDS of Scots families are set to get a Child Benefits boost.
From next week, households with one child will receive £1,354 annually – up £23.40 from last year.
Scots families are set to get a Child Benefits boost[/caption]
And payments for any additional kids will rise by £16 to £897 each year.
Parents can claim for an unlimited number of children and are encouraged to apply within three months of their child’s birth to avoid missing backdated payments.
Payments are usually made every four weeks.
Families will get £104.20 once a month for their first or only child and £69 for any other kids, from April 7.
To make a claim for Child Benefit, parents will need to create an online HMRC account and will need:
- child’s birth or adoption certificate
- bank details
- National Insurance number for themselves and their partner, if they have one
- child’s original birth or adoption certificate and passport or travel document, for children born outside the UK.
Households with an individual earning between £60,000 and £80,000 will be subject to the High Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC).
The online Child Benefit tax calculator will provide an estimate for families of how much the family will receive and what the charge might be.
In the Chancellor’s Spring statement last week, Ms Reeves announced a simplified digital service to cut the red tape for parents liable for HICBC as part of the government‘s Plan for Change.
From summer 2025, affected families will have the chance to opt to pay the charge directly through their PAYE tax code instead of filing a Self Assessment tax return.
Child Benefit claimants receive National Insurance Credits, which helps them to qualify for the State Pension.
And for those opting out of payments due to HICBC, they will still retain these credits.
The quickest and easiest way to make a claim, view and manage Child Benefits is through the HMRC app.
Families who have previously opted out of Child Benefit payments can opt back in and restart their payments quickly and easily via the app.
Over 1.2 million parents have used the HMRC app or online services to claim Child Benefit since its launch in May 2023.
Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, said: “Extra pounds count and Child Benefit can give your household budget a boost. Claiming online or managing your Child Benefit payments via the HMRC app is quick and easy so, if you haven’t already, go to GOV.UK to start your claim today.”
