You need to reapply for child benefits by 31 August or risk losing out - here’s why

You might have been regularly claiming child benefits since your little one was of a young age. But if your child has now reached the age of 16 and you don’t reapply for child benefits, you may risk losing out on a lot of money. Who can claim? All parents who earn less than £50,000 are eligible to claim up to £1,067 a year for their first child, with up to £712.40 per year for any additional children. If one parent earns more than £60,000, any child benefit is stopped by what's known as the ‘high income child benefit charge’. However, if you earn between £50,000 and £60,000 you can claim a reduced amount, depending on your income. What age does child benefit stop? Any child benefit payments automatically stop when your child turns 16. However, if they're staying in full time education at school or college or going onto an ‘approved’ training or apprenticeship scheme, then their child benefit can continue up to the age of 19. ‘Approved education’ means full-time learning, with more than an average of 12 hours a week supervised study or course-related work experience. Gov.uk explains that, “Your Child Benefit stops on 31 August on or after your child’s 16th birthday if they leave education or training. It continues if they stay in approved education or training, but you must tell the Child Benefit Office.” Latest figures from HMRC reveal that around 200,000 parents still need to get in touch, with 29 per cent of those eligible missing out on benefits last year. if your child has now reached the age of 16 and you don’t reapply for child benefits, you may risk losing out on a lot of money (Photo: Shutterstock) How can I reapply? Affected parents and guardians should have been sent a form to complete, which you need to fill out and send back. However, if you don’t have this form then you can fill one out online. To use the online service, you need a Government Gateway user ID and password. If you do not have a user ID, you can create one when you use the service. The application deadline is 31 August 2019. If you want to claim for the first time, then you’ll need to print out and fill in the child benefit claim form CH2 and send this to the child benefit office, along with your child’s original birth or adoption certificate. If you want to add an existing child to your claim, then you will need to call the child benefit helpline number on 0300 200 3100. This article was originally published on our sister site, Yorkshire Evening Post.