1. What is child benefit

Child benefit is paid to people who are responsible for a child or ‘qualifying young person’. You do not have to have paid national insurance contributions to qualify for child benefit. It is not means tested, so the amount you get is not affected by your student loan, grant or other income. If you earn over £60,000 and you or your partner get child benefit, you may have extra income tax to pay (known as the ‘high-income child benefit charge’).