Thousands of UK Parents Miss Out on Child Benefit Claims

Thousands more parents could receive £27 a week by remembering some paperwork shortly after their baby is born.

Child benefit is an allowance that helps with the cost of bringing up children. It is currently worth £27.05 a week for the first child, and £17.90 a week for each subsequent child.

Official data shows that parents of nearly a third of children eligible for child benefit do not make a claim before their baby's first birthday.

Payments can only be backdated for three months, meaning some families could be missing out on hundreds of pounds in the fog of new parenthood.

The annual publication of the most popular baby names could serve as a reminder to some parents that there are other pieces of official paperwork to complete.

In order to receive child benefit, which is paid every four weeks, one parent should make a claim. That parent will also get National Insurance credits towards their state pension.

Child Benefit can be claimed 48 hours after the baby's birth is registered but can only be backdated for up to three months from the date HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) receives the claim.

More than 6.8 million parents received child benefit in the year to August 2025, according to HMRC data.

But only 69% of them claimed the support before their baby's first birthday, meaning thousands of families may not getting what they are entitled to receive.

The tax authority said that many of them may have chosen not to claim, owing to restrictions on high-earning parents receiving the benefit.