Families have until end of August to extend Child Benefit for eligible teens

With hundreds and thousands of teenagers finding out their GCSE results this week, many will be deciding whether or not to carry on with higher education.

Parents are therefore being reminded by HMRC not to miss out on extending Child Benefit if their 16-19-year-old plans to continue in education or training.

Child Benefit payments will stop after the 31^st of August for parents who have not yet extended their claim.

Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, said, “Child Benefit is an important financial support for many households and we don’t want to see any eligible family miss out. You can extend your claim quickly and easily online or via the HMRC app, just search ‘Child Benefit when your child turns 16’ on GOV.UK.”

Victoria Benson, CEO of Gingerbread, the charity for single parent families, added,

“Child Benefit is valuable to families and particularly single parent families, who are forced to make ends meet on a single income.

“It’s really important, with the 31 August deadline fast approaching, that parents whose children are going into further education and training extend their claim as soon as possible to avoid missing out on this crucial financial help.”

If a child does change their mind about further education or training, parents will need to inform HMRC online or via the HMRC app and payments will be adjusted accordingly.

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