28 August 2014

Claiming for 16 year olds and over – contact HMRC by 31 August

Anyone claiming child benefit and /or child tax credit for a child who is 16 years old or over needs to tell HMRC by 31 August if their child is staying on in full-time non-advanced education or approved training, so that their payments do not stop.

Child benefit and child tax credit can be claimed for young people over age 16 up to age 20*, where they are in full time non-advanced education or approved training. (*need to be have accepted on to the course before their 19th birthday). There is more about what full-time non-advanced education or approved training means in our CTC section and on GOV.UK for CTC and child benefit.

Child benefit and child tax credit payments are set to automatically end for a child on the 31 August following the child’s 16th birthday unless the claimant tells HMRC that the child (‘young person’) is staying in full-time non-advanced education or approved training so its important to contact HMRC otherwise payment will stop. Claimants also need to notify HMRC if the child subsequently leaves their education or training as entitlement for that child will end, although there are slightly different rules here about when child benefit entitlement ends, see GOV.UK

From this year, anyone claiming child tax credit for a young person over 16 needs to tell HMRC each year that they continue in full-time non advanced education/approved training, otherwise payments will stop.Previously, once notified about staying on, payments continued until either age 18/19 or HM Revenue & Customs were told otherwise.

You can contact HMRC by phone, post or, for Child Benefit only, on-line. But HMRC say you need to contact each office separately if you are claiming both child benefit and child tax credit.

Tax credits:

·         Telephone – 0345 300 3900 (textphone 0345 300 3909)

·         Post –  Tax Credits Office, Preston PR1 4AT

Child Benefit:

·         Telephone – 0300 200 3100 (textphone 0300 200 3103)

·         Post -  Child Benefit Office, PO Box 1, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE88 1AA

·         On-line - GOV.UK