Thousands of families are being urged to check now or risk losing their Child Benefit payments in weeks. Under Government rules Child Benefit is paid to someone who is responsible for bringing up a child under the age of 16 or under 20, if they are in full-time education or on an approved training scheme.

From April 6 this means a family with one child gets £25.60 a week. Those with more than one child get an additional £16.95 per child.

However some families will need to update their personal details on the government website or they could risk losing their payments. And time is running out to do it as it must be done by midnight on May 31 to make sure the payments will continue into June.

The move affects everyone who has a child aged 16 who was in further education or training and who has now left. It also affects anyone whose child has reached 16 but is continuing on with their full time education.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) says: “If you fail to update your details in time, you may still be able to claim Child Benefit, but your payments might be late.”

Reasons why Child Benefit could stop

There are a number of reasons your Child Benefit could stop. You need to inform the HMRC if your child does any of the following as you will no longer qualify for the benefit:

  • is 16 - 20 and leaves education or training

  • is aged 16 or over and starts working for more than 24 hours a week

  • starts getting income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, Universal Credit, tax credits, Income Support or Employment and Support Allowance

  • gets married or forms a civil partnership

  • dies or goes missing

You must tell HMRC if your child changes their name. However this won't affect your Child Benefit amount.

Other changes you must notify

If you get married, form a civil partnership or a partner moves in with you, you should report it to HMRC. These changes won't affect your Child Benefit amount.

Tell HMRC if you start getting payments from your local council or someone else for looking after the child. It might mean you're no longer eligible for Child Benefit.

There are extra rules about what happens to your Child Benefit if you or your partner starts earning over £60,000, separate or divorce, have changes to your living arrangements or immigration status. You must notify them of any of these changes.