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Child Benefit calculator

Quickly calculate how much Child Benefit you’re entitled to, how much you can receive, and if you need to pay any of it back as tax.

Your situation

Tax and profit

Child benefit you have
already received
£1,331
Tax to pay
£0
Child benefit you
were entitled to
£1,331

How your child benefit is calculated

The child benefit is simply a payment that the UK government can give to any parent who has children under the age of 16.

How much you get depends on:

how many children you have
and how much you earn: if you earn over £60,000 this benefit is reduced.

Child benefit breakdown

You have 1 child

You get £25.60 per week for your child.

In total that’s £1,331 per year.

What is the High Income Child Benefit Tax Charge?

Child Benefit is a tax-free payment paid by the government to parents or anyone responsible for raising a child. 👏

You’re eligible to claim the payment if the child you raise is:

👶Under 16 and in education/training
🎓Under 18 and in education/training
💰You earn under £80,000

But remember:

Only one adult in your household can claim Child Benefit for your child
There’s no limit on how many children you can claim for

Here’s how it works.

High income child benefit charge

How much Child Benefit will I receive?

In the 2025/26 tax year, you can claim:

£26.05 a week for your first child
£16.95 a week for each of your other children

Who said there was no such thing as a favourite child? 🤭

You can also get National Insurance (NI) credits to help fill in gaps in your National Insurance record.

This helps to ensure you qualify for certain benefits including your State Pension – winner-winner. 🤑

If you receive Child Benefit, then your child will also receive an NI number without having to apply, shortly before they turn 16.

What makes you liable?

Here are the scenarios where you might owe the HICBC:

One partner in a household earns more than £50,270
As the highest earner in a household, it’s your responsibility to declare your liability – HMRC won’t notify you themselves
The children don’t need to be yours to be liable
If you move in with a new partner, you become liable
You can be chased even if you temporarily move in with a new partner then split up

What can be done?

You can first of all opt out of receiving the benefits. It won’t get rid of your bill completely but it will stop charges from being added. Also there was a recent case won against HMRC that ruled that they were not allowed to backdate payments for one individual. So there may be space to fight back.

Get professional help

Book a 1-1 tax consultation with an accredited accountant to make sure you’re declaring your liability properly and to see if there are other, more tax-efficient ways you can claim the benefit if you’re eligible.

Book now

How do you claim?

To claim, you’ll need to do this through HMRC’s website using their claim form. It can be done as soon as your child is born or comes to live with you. It can take up to 16 weeks, and sometimes longer, for HMRC to process your claim.

Who can make the claim?

Remember, only one person can claim this benefit. If you aren’t working or earning less than £190 a week and you’re the person claiming, you’ll get National Insurance credits towards your state pension.

Making a claim for the first time?

You can make a claim by filling out the CH2 claim form. It can be filled both by hand or online, whichever you prefer.

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