We wanted to let you know about the changes to Child Benefit effective from 7 April 2025. Families will receive a financial boost, thanks to increases in Child Benefit payments.

The increased payments for families are shown below. These payments, made every four weeks, are automatically transferred to bank accounts, helping to ease household budgeting.

• Eldest or only child - Increase to £26.05 per week, this equates to £1,354.60 annually
• Each additional child - £17.25 per week (or £897 per year)

Claiming child benefit

If you are not claiming child benefit at the moment you can use the HMRC Child Benefit tax calculator to estimate how much money you would get from Child Benefit in a tax year.

Claiming and managing Child Benefit is now quicker than ever. You can use the free and secure HMRC app, which now features a notification to inform users once a claim has been received. In some cases, payments are being made within just three days.

Through the app, you can:

• Make a new claim
• Update your details or change of circumstances
• Add additional children to an existing claim
• View and print proof of entitlement
• Inform HMRC about children continuing in education or training

High-Income Child Benefit Charge

A significant update comes for households affected by the High-Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC). From the summer, parents with individual incomes between £60,000 and £80,000 can opt to pay the charge directly through their PAYE tax code. This new digital option eliminates the need to complete a Self-Assessment tax return, although the traditional option remains available for those who prefer it.

We hope you found this article helpful. We provide regular updates for individuals, businesses, and landlords on our blog pages or follow us on LinkedIn – Watson Knipe LinkedIn Page.