With the rising cost of living, the Government are offering parents and carers up to £1,248 a year to help with the cost of raising their first child – and up to £826.80 for any other children. This means that by the time a child is 16 years old, their child benefit claim could be worth almost £20,000.
What is child benefit?
Child benefit is a monthly payment for anyone with parental responsibilities for children under the age of 16, or up to 20 if they stay in approved education or training.
How does it work?
There are two child benefit rates. The allowance for the eldest or only child is £24.00 per week. For additional children, the allowance is £15.90 per child.
Child benefit is usually paid every four weeks and there’s no limit to how many children you can claim for.
To find out if you’re eligible, and how to make a claim, visit GOV.UK (UTM).
What other benefits are included?
By claiming child benefit, you can also get national insurance credits which counts towards your state pension, and a national insurance number for your child without them having to apply for one. For more information, visit GOV.UK (UTM).
Other types of support
Child benefit are the Government’s way of helping parents with the cost of raising a child as part of their Help for Households campaign. Other types of Government support include free school meals, free childcare, and universal credit childcare support. For more information about Government support with childcare costs, visit GOV.UK.
There are over 40 schemes to help with the cost of living, including how to save energy and lower your bills. To find out what support is available, visit GOV.UK.
The Wraparound Childcare (WAC) scheme
The Wraparound Childcare (WAC) scheme provides funding for up to 20 hours per week, per child, to eligible Service families with children aged 4 to 11 years old who are in school or being home schooled in the UK.
WAC is also known as ‘Out of School care’ in Wales and ‘School Age Childcare’ in Scotland.
Families can find out more about the Wraparound Childcare scheme on the Discover my Benefits website: * Discover My Benefits - Army * Discover My Benefits – Royal Air Force * Discover My Benefits - Royal Navy