Registering the birth and the first claims in the UK

This is the short version, because you are reading it on very little sleep. Each step has the deadline first, then what to bring, then the link. Do them in this order and you never turn up without the one thing they ask for.

If you only do three things this week

1. Book the register office. Everything else needs the birth certificate.
2. Claim Child Benefit the day after you register. It only backdates three months.
3. Put the health visitor and the 6 to 8 week check in the calendar.

That is enough. The rest can wait a week.

1. Register the birth

Deadline: 42 days in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. 21 days in Scotland.

Where: the register office for the area where the baby was born, not where you live. Most take bookings online; search "register a birth" plus the council name, or start at gov.uk/register-birth.

Bring:

• Your ID (passport or driving licence)
• The hospital discharge note or the red book, if you have it already
• Your partner's ID too, if both of you are going

Buy certificates on the day. Three is a sensible number: Child Benefit, the GP, and one spare. They are cheaper at the appointment than ordered later.

Who has to be there. Married or in a civil partnership: either of you can go alone and both names go on. Not married: both of you must attend for the second parent to be on the certificate, and being on it is what gives that parent parental responsibility. Two mothers: if you were married or civil partners when you conceived, the same rule as any married couple; if not, both names go on only if you both signed the consent forms at a UK licensed fertility clinic before treatment. Conceived another way, the second mother needs a parental order or adoption, and Stonewall or a family solicitor can point you to the route. Find this out before the appointment, not at the desk.

2. Child Benefit

Deadline: none, but it backdates at most three months, so every month you wait after that is money gone.

Amount: £27.05 a week for your first child. Claim even if a higher earner in the household means a tax charge: you can opt out of the payments and still get the National Insurance credits that count towards your State Pension.

How: online at gov.uk/child-benefit/how-to-claim. It takes about ten minutes and the first payment can arrive within days. You need a Government Gateway account (set it up first, it emails you a code), the birth certificate, your National Insurance number, your bank details, and your partner's NI number if you have one.

3. The first checks and the jabs

These are standing appointments, not applications. Add each date to Kinvera as you get it.

• Health visitor: first home visit usually between day 10 and 14. They will contact you; if nobody has by day 14, ring the health visiting team through your GP surgery.
• 6 to 8 week check: two checks at the GP, one for the baby and one for you. The surgery usually invites you; if not, book it yourself around week 5.
• Vaccinations: 8, 12 and 16 weeks. Invitation comes from the GP.
• Red book: the Personal Child Health Record goes to every appointment for years and is surprisingly easy to lose in month one. Give it a home by the door, or set up the digital version if your area has it.

If the baby is not yet registered at a GP, do it now; the practice needs the birth certificate or the NHS number from the red book. An email is enough if their online form is down:

Subject: Registering my newborn, [BABY'S NAME], born [DATE]

Hello,

I would like to register my baby, [BABY'S NAME], born on [DATE], at the practice. I am already a patient ([YOUR NAME], DOB [YOUR DOB]). The NHS number from the red book is [NUMBER] and I can bring the birth certificate to the 6 to 8 week check. Please let me know if you need anything else.

Thank you, [YOUR NAME]

4. Tell your employer the real date

Maternity pay and leave run from the actual birth, not the due date, so your employer needs it, and so does the employer of anyone else taking leave for this baby.

Subject: Birth of my baby, [DATE]

Hi [NAME],

Just to let you know our baby arrived on [DATE]. My maternity leave therefore runs from [DATE] as discussed. I will send a copy of the birth certificate once I have it.

Best, [YOUR NAME]

Paternity or partner leave can now be taken as two separate weeks any time in the first year, so decide between you when those weeks are most useful before giving the dates.

Only if it applies to you

On Universal Credit or tax credits: report the birth in your journal or by phone. The child element starts only once they know.

On a qualifying benefit and this is your first child: the Sure Start Maternity Grant is a one-off £500, claimable up to six months after the birth. In Scotland it is the Best Start Grant.

In England, on prescriptions: your maternity exemption certificate keeps prescriptions and NHS dental care free until the baby's first birthday. If you never got one, your midwife or GP can still issue it. Prescriptions are already free in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

On your own: Child Benefit goes in your name. Gingerbread has a free helpline for single parents and a benefits checker that is quicker than gov.uk.

Sharing the leave: each employer needs eight weeks' written notice before Shared Parental Leave starts. Count back from the date you want.

Frequently asked questions

I missed the 42 days. Register anyway. There is no fine; you just cannot claim Child Benefit until it is done.

Can someone else register for us? In limited cases (a hospital or care home official, or someone present at the birth). Normally no, so plan for one of you to go.

Do I need the certificate for the GP? Usually the NHS number from the red book is enough to start; bring the certificate to the first check.

Which of these actually costs money if I am late? Child Benefit, after three months. Nothing else.