How to claim Child Benefit for your new baby

Child Benefit is the UK's weekly payment for anyone bringing up a child: £27.05 a week for your first or only child, and £17.90 for each child after that. For a first baby that's £1,406.60 a year. You claim once, and it keeps arriving until your child turns 16, or up to 20 if they stay in approved education or training.

It's also one of the payments new parents miss most. HMRC's own figures show that in the year to August 2025, roughly one in three parents hadn't claimed by their baby's first birthday. Nobody sends a reminder, and the newborn weeks are a blur.

The one thing to remember: Child Benefit is only backdated 3 months. Claim when your baby is 6 months old and about 3 months of payments, roughly £350, are gone for good. You can claim 48 hours after registering the birth, so registration is really the starting gun.

In Kinvera, the Child Benefit mission lands on your list from week 32, so the details are gathered before the baby arrives and the claim itself takes five minutes.

The quick answer

• How much: £27.05 a week for your eldest or only child, £17.90 for each additional child (2026/27 rates)
• Who pays it: HMRC, with the same rules across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
• How it's paid: Usually every 4 weeks into your bank account. Single parents and people on certain benefits, such as Universal Credit, can choose weekly
• When you can claim: From 48 hours after the birth is registered
• Back pay: Up to 3 months before HMRC receives your claim, never further
• Earning over £60,000? A tax charge takes some or all of it back. Claim anyway (the reason is below)

Who can claim

You can claim if you're responsible for the child, which usually means they live with you, and you normally live in the UK. Only one person can get Child Benefit for each child, so if there are two of you, you choose who claims. Read the next section before you pick.

One caution: Child Benefit counts as a public fund. If your visa says "no recourse to public funds", speak to an immigration adviser before claiming, because claiming could affect your status. The eligibility page covers settled and pre-settled status.

Whose name should the claim be in?

Most couples decide this without thinking, and it has a surprisingly long tail.

The person named on the claim automatically gets National Insurance credits for every year the child is under 12. Those count towards the State Pension, which needs 35 qualifying years for the full amount. Someone working full-time already pays National Insurance, so the credits add nothing for them. Someone earning less, working part-time or taking a few years out gets a real gap filled.

So the claim should usually be in the name of whoever will earn less or step back from work. Married, unmarried or a same-sex couple, the rule is about earnings, not roles. Doing this on your own? It's simply you, and the credits protect your pension through the years when work fits around a small person.

Already claimed in the "wrong" name? Credits can sometimes be transferred between partners, as the National Insurance credits page explains. While you're thinking about it, check your State Pension forecast. It takes two minutes and shows exactly which years are missing.

High earners: claim anyway

If you or your partner have an adjusted net income over £60,000, the High Income Child Benefit Charge takes back 1% of your Child Benefit for every £200 over. At £80,000 it takes all of it, and the higher earner of the two pays. At £70,000, for example, half goes back, so you'd keep about £703 of a first child's £1,406.60. The Child Benefit tax calculator works it out for your income.

Here's the part a lot of people miss: even if you'd pay every penny back, claim anyway, then opt out of the payments. You stay registered, receive nothing and owe nothing, but you still get:

• the National Insurance credits for whoever is named on the claim
• a National Insurance number sent to your child automatically before they turn 16

Never claim, and neither happens. You can opt out of payments online once you're registered, and switch them back on if your income drops.

How to claim, step by step

1. Register the birth. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland that has to happen within 42 days, in Scotland within 21. Book the register office as soon as you can, because slots can be scarce. Some hospitals offer registration on site, so ask your midwife
2. Gather the details: your National Insurance number, your partner's if you have one, and your bank details. The birth certificate helps but isn't required; claiming without it can take longer
3. Wait 48 hours after registering, then claim online through Make a claim on GOV.UK. You can also claim by post or phone
4. Choose how you're paid: every 4 weeks, weekly if you're eligible, or opt out once registered if the tax charge would take it all
5. Watch for the back pay. The weeks between the birth and your claim arrive in one go, up to the 3-month limit. After that, payments land every 4 weeks on a Monday or Tuesday

A second baby later goes on the same claim, at £17.90 a week.

Worth knowing

• On benefits? The one-off £500 Sure Start Maternity Grant for a first baby can be claimed from 11 weeks before the due date until 6 months after. In Scotland, the Pregnancy and Baby Payment and the Scottish Child Payment replace and add to it
• Still pregnant? The claim before the birth is your maternity pay, with a deadline around week 25. Our maternity pay guide covers it

Template: everything for the claim, in one place

Copy this into your notes before the birth, or send it to whoever is handling the paperwork with you. When the moment comes, the claim takes five minutes instead of an evening of hunting through drawers.

Child Benefit claim

• Baby's full name:
• Date of birth:
• Birth registered on (claim from 48 hours after):
• Person claiming (gets the National Insurance credits):
• Their National Insurance number:
• Partner's National Insurance number:
• Bank sort code and account number:
• Payments: every 4 weeks / weekly / opt out
• Claim at: gov.uk/child-benefit/how-to-claim

Frequently asked questions

How much is Child Benefit in 2026? £27.05 a week for your eldest or only child and £17.90 a week for each additional child, under the 2026/27 rates. For a first child that's £1,406.60 a year.

How far back can Child Benefit be backdated? Up to 3 months before the date HMRC receives your claim. Anything older is lost, which is why it pays to claim soon after registering the birth.

Can I claim Child Benefit before my baby is born? No. You can claim from 48 hours after the birth is registered. Before that, gather the details so the claim itself is quick.

Which parent should claim Child Benefit? Usually the one earning less or taking time out of work, because the person named on the claim gets National Insurance credits towards their State Pension until the child turns 12.

Should I claim Child Benefit if I earn over £80,000? Yes, then opt out of the payments. You pay no tax charge, the person named on the claim still gets National Insurance credits, and your child is sent a National Insurance number automatically before they turn 16.