Over a million parents are at risk of missing out on weekly payments of £25.60 if they fail to update their Child Benefit claim by the end of this month.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has sent over 1.4 million letters to families, reminding them that if their teenager is continuing in further education or training, they need to extend their claim before August 31.

These letters contain a QR code which, when scanned, directs parents straight to the GOV.UK website, enabling them to update their claim quickly and easily online.

Read more:

Child Benefit can be worth up to £1,331 annually for the first or only child, and up to £881 per year for each additional child.

Payments will automatically cease on August 31 or after the child has turned 16 unless parents renew their claim where their child is continuing in education. If their 16 to 19 year old plans to continue in approved education or training, parents can use the online service on GOV.UK or the HMRC app to avoid missing out, reports the Daily Record.

Child Benefit can continue to be paid for children who are studying full time in approved non-advanced education, which includes:

  • A levels or Scottish Highers
  • International Baccalaureate
  • Home education - if it started before their child turned 16, or after 16 if they have a statement of special educational needs and it was assessed by the local authority
  • T levels
  • NVQs, up to level 3

Child Benefit will also continue for children studying on one of these unpaid approved training courses:

  • Scotland: Employability Fund programme and No One Left Behind
  • Wales: Foundation Apprenticeships, Traineeships or the Jobs Growth Wales+ scheme
  • Northern Ireland: PEACEPLUS Youth Programme 3.2, Training for Success or Skills for Life and Work

If a child changes their mind about further education or training, parents can simply inform HMRC online or via the app and payments will be adjusted accordingly.

Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC's Director General for Customer Services, highlighted the importance of Child Benefit for many families and urged them to take action to ensure continued payment. She stated: "Child Benefit is an important financial support for many families, so make sure you don't miss out on any payments if your teenager intends to continue approved education or training. You can quickly and easily extend your claim online or via the HMRC app."

Parents must act by August 31 to prevent their Child Benefit payments from stopping automatically.

HMRC has advised that updating information through their online services or the official app is the fastest way to ensure payments continue. To access HMRCs online services, parents will need a Government Gateway user ID and password. Those without an existing account can create one on the GOV.UK platform, requiring just their National Insurance number or postcode along with two forms of identification.

Get breaking news in Hull straight to your phone

Don't miss a thing. Get all the latest breaking news in Hull straight to your mobile via WhatsApp by clicking here.

If you don’t like our community, you can leave any time. We also treat members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. Read our privacy notice here.