Child Benefit is worth up to £1,331 a year for the first child and £881 for each additional child. Claims can be made 48 hours after the baby’s birth has been registered. With payments made within three days, this means parents could receive their first payment within a week. Claims can also be backdated for up to three months.
The online Child Benefit tax calculator provides an estimate of how much benefit can be claimed. To make a claim, families will need their:
- 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