If you have sent a birth or adoption certificate, this will be returned to you and you will be sent a written decision. If your claim is not successful or is stopped later, you can challenge the decision (see Chapter 59).

Benefit is normally paid every four weeks unless this would cause hardship, in which case you must write to HMRC saying why you want weekly payments.

The ‘benefit cap’ applies to child benefit (see Chapter 15(10) and Box G.6 in Chapter 27).