What is Child Benefit?
Child benefit is a social security payment disbursed to the parents or guardians of children. The payment can be claimed by anyone who qualifies, no matter what their financial circumstances are. It is usually paid every month, but is sometimes paid on a weekly basis. There are separate rates payable to each child.
Who can claim child benefit?
If you are responsible for a child, even if you are not their parent, you can usually claim child benefit.
Currently, you can claim child benefit if:
-Your child is under 16 (If your child is over 16, you cannot claim child benefit unless they are in education or training that qualifies for child benefit)
-Your child does not live with you, but you pay towards their upkeep, what you pay is at least the same amount received in child benefit and as long as the person your child lives with in not claiming child benefit for them.
Note:
-Only one person can claim child benefit for your child
-You cannot claim child benefit once your child reaches the age of 20.
How much child benefit will you receive?
There are separate rates payable to each child. For the eldest child or only child, you will receive £20.30 a week and £13.40 a week for each of your other children.
How is child benefit paid?
Child benefit is usually paid monthly, but if you receive Income Support, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Pension Credit or are a single parent, you can receive payment weekly.
Child benefit can be paid into any bank, building society, or National Savings and Investments (NS&I) that accepts Direct Payment.
How can you claim child benefit?
In order to claim child benefits, you must fill in a child benefit claim form and send it to the Child Benefit Office with your child's birth or adoption certificate.
You are unable to claim over the phone or on the Internet. However, forms are available to fill in online, but must then be printed off and sent to the Child Benefit Office.
What changes have been made?
As laid out by George Osborne, in the Emergency Budget in June 2010, higher rate tax payers earning £44,000 a year or more will no longer receive child benefit from 2013. Families with two basic rate tax payers will still be able to claim child benefit, even though their combined income could be over £44,000 a year. A family with only one high rate tax payer will still lose their child benefit.
If a higher rate tax payer does claim child benefit, it will be claimed back through the tax system.
Who will be hit by the changes?
Removing child benefit from higher rate taxpayers will hit some harder than others. Those particularly affected will be single parent families and part-time working or stay at home mothers.
No comments:
Post a Comment