Child benefit
Your entitlement to child benefit stops if your child has been looked after and accommodated for at least one day a week for eight consecutive weeks.1s147(2) and Sch 9 para 1 SSCBA 1992; regs 16(1)(a) and 18 CB Regs A ‘day’ for this purpose means midnight to midnight2R(F) 3/85 and a ‘week’ means a period of seven days starting on a Monday.3s147(1) SSCBA 1992 You have a duty to notify the Child Benefit Office of any changes in your circumstances, including if your child has been looked after and accommodated for eight weeks. Contact the Child Benefit Office (see Appendix 1) as soon as you know your child is likely to be looked after and accommodated for eight weeks or more. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) provides a form (CH193) for local authorities to use to notify the Child Benefit Office if a child has started to be looked after by them. This can be completed online at . However, you should not rely on the local authority advising the Child Benefit Office and, to avoid overpayment, make sure you also tell the Child Benefit Office about any change. Do not assume that by telling one section of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) or HMRC that all the other sections will get the same information. You need to tell the Child Benefit Office even if you have already told the Tax Credit Office, DWP or local authority.