4. Claiming child benefit

Child benefit is administered by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). You claim child benefit on Form CH2, which you can get from the Child Benefit Office on 0300 200 3100, or gov.uk/government/publications/child-benefit-claim-form-ch2.

You should make a claim within three months of becoming eligible. This is because your claim can usually only be backdated for up to three months. You do not have to show any reasons why your claim was late.

Getting paid

Child benefit is usually paid directly into your bank (or similar) account. Which account it goes into is up to you. If you do not want your benefit to go into an account that is overdrawn, give HMRC details of an alternative account if you have access to, or can open, one.