11-09-2025 Changes to Child Benefit Eligibility for ages 16 - 19

There are some important changes to Child Benefit eligibility, taking effect from 1 September 2025, which will affect some of our families, and some may also be entitled to backdated payments.

Current rules

Child Benefit usually stops on 31 August after a child’s 16th birthday if they leave education or training.It continues if HMRC is told the young person is staying in approved full-time education or training, which currently means more than 12 hours of supervised study or training each week.

What’s changing from 1 September 2025

The definition of full-time education will be expanded to include:

o   Young people in non-advanced education who cannot meet the 12-hour weekly requirement due to illness or disability.

o   Young people in full-time non-advanced education outside a school or college (for example, being home-educated), whether this started before or after their 16th birthday.

Parents and guardians in these circumstances will continue to be eligible for Child Benefit and can extend their claim through the HMRC app or online at https://www.gov.uk/child-benefit-16-19

Backdated payments

An error in legislation in 2014 meant that some families in England missed out on Child Benefit and Child Tax Credit.  About 7 million families received Child Benefit last year. HMRC have identified that a very small number of families in England, about 500 over 10 years, may not have been paid their correct entitlement. As HMRC do not hold records of people who have been affected by this error, any parents or guardians who believe they may have been one of those affected should contact HMRC as soon as possible.

Parents and guardians may be entitled to backdated payments if, between 6 April 2014 and 31 August 2025, they had a young person who was:

o   Aged 16–18,

o   Living in England,

o   Receiving education outside a school or college (e.g. home-educated), and

o   Where the Local Authority assessed the education as suitable.

How families can check:

o   Child Benefit enquiries: Call 0300 322 9620 or write to HMRC — Child Benefit Office, PO Box 1, Newcastle upon Tyne NE88 1AA.

o   Child Tax Credit enquiries: Call 0345 300 3900 or write to HMRC — Tax Credit Office, BX9 1ER.