Child Benefit - which changes you need to report

It's important to let the Child Benefit Office know of any changes in your circumstances as soon as possible. This will make sure you get the money you're entitled to without any delays, and also that you don't get overpaid and have to pay some back.

On this page:

Changes to do with you or your partner
Changes to do with your child
If your child dies
If you or your partner have an individual income of more than £50,000
How to report the changes
More useful links

Changes to do with you or your partner

Some changes in your circumstances can affect your entitlement to Child Benefit. You must tell the Child Benefit Office as soon as possible if any of the following changes happen.

Type of change	You must tell the Child Benefit Office straight away if:
Family changes	you marry, form a civil partnership, or start living with a partner, and you're both getting Child Benefit you stop living with a partner and you're both getting Child Benefit you have a baby another child comes to live with you you start getting paid by a local authority, or in Northern Ireland a Health and Social Services Board or Trust, for a child you're looking after
Bank account, name or address changes	you want to change the account your Child Benefit is paid into you've changed your name or address
Contributions you make for to a child change or stop	you stop paying money or making contributions for a child who doesn't live with you - or what you pay or contribute changes
Absence from the UK	you or your partner are due to leave the UK permanently, or you're likely to be away for more than 52 weeks you are due to leave the UK temporarily for more than eight weeks, or more than twelve weeks because you or a member of your family is ill, or has died you lose your right to reside in the UK your immigration status is changed by the Home Office
Other changes	you or your partner start to pay social security contributions to, or get social security benefit from, a foreign country you leave Great Britain to go to Northern Ireland permanently, or Northern Ireland to go to Great Britain permanently

How to change your bank account details for Child Benefit payments

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Changes to do with your child

Some changes in your child's circumstances can affect your entitlement to Child Benefit. You must tell the Child Benefit Office as soon as possible about any of the following changes.

Type of change	You must tell the Child Benefit Office straight away if your child:
Changes in your child's education or training	leaves school or college and starts working 24 hours a week or more, and they get or expect payment leaves school or college earlier than the date you told the Child Benefit Office stays on at school or college after the date you told the Child Benefit Office they would leave starts education that's been provided by an employer or as part of any other job or role that they have reduces the time they get supervised study at school or college to 12 hours a week or less starts a higher education course leading to a qualification like a degree starts being educated at home and is 16 or over starts training that's provided by their employer starts a training course that's not approved
Your child's away from home for more than a week	has lived away from you for more than 56 days in any 16 week period is expected to live away from you for more than 8 weeks is expected to be in hospital or residential care for 12 weeks or more because they're ill or disabled, and you will not be regularly spending money on them
Your child is going abroad	is due to leave the UK permanently, or they're likely to be away for more than 52 weeks is due to leave the UK temporarily for more than 12 weeks is due to leave Great Britain to go to Northern Ireland permanently, or Northern Ireland to go to Great Britain permanently
Other changes	changes their name starts receiving benefits in their own right marries, forms a civil partnership or starts to live with a partner is expected to be held in legal custody for more than eight weeks goes missing is looked after by a local authority (in Northern Ireland, a Health and Social Services Board or Trust), a voluntary organisation, or held in secure or non-secure accommodation

Find out more about further education or training and Child Benefit

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If your child dies

You will need to let the Child Benefit Office know if your child dies. It will be a difficult time for you but you can usually get Child Benefit for up to eight weeks after the date your child died. This may help with extra costs you face at this time.

Child Benefit if your child dies

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If you or your partner have an individual income of more than £50,000

You or your partner could be liable to a tax charge called the 'High Income Child Benefit charge'. Changes to the number of children either of you are entitled to receive Child Benefit for could affect your tax.

Instead of paying the tax charge, you or your partner could have decided not to receive Child Benefit payments. But you must still tell the Child Benefit Office if any of the changes mentioned above happen.

High Income Child Benefit charge

Changes in your income - or your partner's income

Your individual income, or your partner's, could go up or down. This could affect whether you're still liable to the High Income Child Benefit charge, or how much you have to pay.

For example, if your income dropped below £50,000 for a whole tax year, you'd no longer be liable to the charge. A tax year runs from 6 April to 5 April the following year. If you had previously decided not to receive Child Benefit payments, you would be able to ask to restart them.

To find out how you could be affected and what you need to do follow the link below.