Can I claim Child Benefit if I’m not the birth parent?

Yes. Child Benefit can be claimed by any person who is responsible for a child - including step-parents, grandparents, and other carers - as long as the child lives with them and they’re mainly responsible for the child. Tick the appropriate option at Q42 (birth child, adopted child, stepchild, or none of these) and continue the form.

Does Child Benefit stop when my child turns 16?

Child Benefit stops automatically at 16 unless you tell HMRC the young person is staying in full-time non-advanced education or approved unpaid training. You do this using Form CH297, not the CH2. You must notify HMRC by 31 August after the child’s 16th birthday or payments stop. For disabled young people who can only manage reduced study hours, the 12-hour minimum doesn’t apply from September 2025.

My partner already claims Child Benefit for another child. Do we need to fill in a new CH2?

Yes, if you’re the one responsible for the child you’re claiming for. Only one person can claim for a given child, and the claim must be in the name of the person who is mainly responsible. If your partner already claims for a different child, they can’t add a new child to an existing claim without a new CH2 - unless HMRC has a simpler update process via phone or online for adding children.

How do I claim Child Benefit if I don’t have a UK bank account?

Put an X in the box at Q71 to indicate you don’t have an account HMRC can pay into. HMRC will contact you to arrange an alternative payment method. Don’t leave this blank or your claim may be held up.

We opted out of Child Benefit payments when our income was high. Can we opt back in?

Yes. If your income has fallen below £80,000 (or you want to reconsider), contact the Child Benefit Office on 0300 200 3100 to restart payments. You may also want to register a new Self Assessment return if your income is between £60,000 and £80,000. You can’t use the CH2 to restart payments on an existing claim - the CH2 is only for new claims.

How to fill in the Child Benefit form (CH2)

The CH2 is straightforward but one question - whether to be paid Child Benefit if your income is over £60,000 - needs a careful answer before you send it. These notes focus on who can claim, what documents you need, how to keep Child Benefit going for a disabled young person aged 16 to 19, and how to handle the high income question.

CH2CH2 - Child Benefit claim form (2025)

Deadline: Can normally only be backdated up to 3 months, so claim promptly after a child joins your household
Time to complete: Allow about 30 to 45 minutes
Who it’s for: Parents and carers in England claiming Child Benefit for the first time, or continuing it for a disabled young person aged 16 to 19 in approved education or training.
Where it applies: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

Get free help with this form The official form on GOV.UK

Download the form: CH2 (PDF)

GOV.UK is the official source and is always the most up to date. These copies are provided for convenience.

We’ve put the parts that decide the claim first. The question numbers tell you where each one sits on the form.

Who can claim and why it’s always worth claiming

You get Child Benefit if you’re responsible for a child under 16 (or under 20 in approved education or training). It’s not means-tested - your income, savings, and whether you work have no effect on your entitlement. Even if you expect to pay back some or all of it through the High Income Child Benefit Charge, claiming still protects your National Insurance record and can count towards your State Pension.

Should I claim even if our household income is above £60,000?

What they’re really asking: Whether protecting National Insurance credits is worth claiming even when the tax charge reduces or cancels the net payment.
How to answer it well: Yes, in almost every case. Claiming Child Benefit earns you a National Insurance credit for each week you claim it, which counts towards your State Pension qualification. If neither of you are in paid employment, those credits can be decisive. On the form (Q62), tick "I do not want to be paid Child Benefit, but I want to protect my State Pension" if you want the credits without receiving payments - this avoids the tax charge while keeping the NI record intact.
Common mistake: Not claiming at all because you assume the tax charge makes it pointless. Unclaimed credits can’t be backdated after the child turns 12.

Should you or your partner be the claimant?

What they’re really asking: Whether it should be you or your partner who’s named on the form as the claimant.
How to answer it well: Only one of you can claim. It’s usually whichever of you the child lives with and is mainly responsible for. Being the claimant is what earns the NI credits, so if one of you isn’t working, it usually makes sense for them to be the claimant and build up State Pension entitlement instead. The higher earner is the one who’ll owe the tax charge if your income is above £60,000, but they don’t have to be the claimant.
Common mistake: Assuming the higher earner has to be the claimant. The claimant and the person who pays the tax charge can be different people in your household.

Documents you need before you start

The form asks for the child’s birth or adoption certificate details, your National Insurance number, your bank details, and partner information if applicable. Having these ready speeds up the form considerably. For children born in England or Wales you only need the 9-digit system number from the bottom left of the birth certificate - you don’t need to send the original.

Which birth certificate details does the form need?

What they’re really asking: Whether to send original documents, and which reference numbers to copy onto the form.
How to answer it well: For children born in England or Wales (Q39 / Q52): find the 9-digit system number printed in the bottom left corner of the birth certificate and write that on the form. You don’t send the original. For children born in Northern Ireland or outside the UK, or for adopted children, you do need to send original documents - the form tells you exactly which ones.
Common mistake: Sending an original England/Wales birth certificate unnecessarily, or writing the registration number from the top of the certificate rather than the system number from the bottom left.

What if I don’t have a National Insurance number?

What they’re really asking: How to proceed if you don’t have or can’t remember your NI number.
How to answer it well: Tick "No" at Q1 and fill in the rest of the form. HMRC will contact you about obtaining a NI number separately. Don’t delay the claim waiting for one - the claim date determines backdating, which is limited to 3 months.
Common mistake: Leaving the form unsent while waiting to locate a NI number.

Keeping Child Benefit going for a 16 to 19 year old in education or training

Child Benefit stops automatically when a child turns 16 unless HMRC are told the young person is in full-time non-advanced education or approved unpaid training. This is handled separately from the CH2 (using Form CH297), but the CH2 itself is used to first claim if you’ve never claimed before. The SEND-specific rule change from September 2025 means disabled young people no longer need to meet the 12-hour study minimum.

What counts as approved education or training?

What they’re really asking: Which post-16 courses and programmes keep Child Benefit going, and which ones end it.
How to answer it well: Approved education includes A Levels, T Levels, GCSEs retaken post-16, NVQs and vocational qualifications up to Level 3, and home education. Training must be unpaid - traineeships and pre-apprenticeships can qualify. Standard apprenticeships (which are paid employment contracts) don’t count, nor does university or any higher education qualification (Level 4 and above). If you’re not sure about a specific programme, ask the provider to confirm in writing whether it’s classed as approved non-advanced education or training.
Common mistake: Assuming an apprenticeship keeps Child Benefit going. Standard apprenticeships end entitlement on the terminal date after the apprenticeship starts.

My disabled young person can only manage a few hours of study each week. Do they still qualify?

What they’re really asking: Whether the 12-hour minimum study rule applies to disabled young people from September 2025.
How to answer it well: From 1 September 2025, the 12-hour minimum doesn’t apply to disabled young people. The Child Benefit (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2025 (SI 2025/818) changed the rule so that education for "any amount appropriate for that person’s individual circumstances" qualifies. A young person studying 5 or 6 hours per week because of a disability, health condition, or mental health difficulty can still qualify if that’s the maximum they can manage. When you notify HMRC (via Form CH297), attach a letter from the school, college, or medical team explaining why reduced hours are appropriate for your young person.
Common mistake: Not claiming the extension because the young person studies fewer than 12 hours, without knowing the 2025 disability amendment removes that threshold.

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The high income question (Q62)

Question 62 only applies if either you or your partner has individual adjusted net income above £60,000 per year. It gives you two options: receive Child Benefit and pay the tax charge (the High Income Child Benefit Charge), or register but opt out of payments to protect your National Insurance record. This is one of the most consequential questions on the form.

Q62 - Do you want to be paid Child Benefit?

What they’re really asking: Whether to receive Child Benefit payments and owe a tax charge, or to register without receiving payments in order to protect National Insurance credits.
How to answer it well: If neither you nor your partner earns above £60,000, skip Q62 and tick "Yes" at Q63 if you want payments. If either of you earns above £60,000, read the two Q62 options carefully. "I do not want to be paid Child Benefit, but I want to protect my State Pension" registers you without payments and avoids the tax charge - the right choice if the higher earner’s income makes the net benefit zero or negative. "I want to be paid Child Benefit" gives you the payments but the higher earner will need to file a Self Assessment return to pay back some or all of it. You can switch between these options later - you’re not locked in at claim stage.
Common mistake: Ticking "Yes, pay me" at Q62 without realising the higher earner will owe the charge via Self Assessment, or conversely, ticking "No" when the NI credits alone would have been valuable and income is only slightly above the threshold.

Show the wording on the form

Q62, page 7

Do you want to be paid Child Benefit?

Answer options: No / Yes

How much is the High Income Child Benefit Charge?

What they’re really asking: How to calculate the charge before deciding which Q62 option to pick.
How to answer it well: Child Benefit rates from April 2026 are £27.05 per week for the eldest or only child, and £17.90 per week for each additional child. The charge is 1% of the Child Benefit amount for every £200 of adjusted net income above £60,000. At £80,000 or above, the charge equals the full Child Benefit, so net benefit is zero. Between £60,000 and £80,000, some benefit remains after the charge. Use the GOV.UK Child Benefit tax calculator to find the exact figure for your income before completing Q62.
Common mistake: Assuming the charge only applies above £80,000. The taper starts at £60,000, so a household with income of £70,000 owes half the Child Benefit back.

After you send it

Child Benefit is normally paid every 4 weeks directly into a bank account. HMRC can backdate payments up to 3 months from the date they receive a valid claim, so there’s no benefit to delaying. Once in payment, HMRC will write to you each year around the child’s birthday to check their education or training status if they’re aged 16 to 19.

When will payments start and can they be backdated?

What they’re really asking: How far back HMRC will pay Child Benefit from, and when to expect the first payment.
How to answer it well: HMRC treats the claim date as the date they receive the completed form. They can pay up to 3 months before that date if the child was eligible for the whole period. Once approved, expect the first payment within a few weeks. If you need payments every week rather than every 4 weeks (for example, if you’re a single parent), tick "Yes" at Q63 and then Q64.
Common mistake: Delaying the claim to gather more documents. Send the form promptly and add documents later if needed - you lose 1 week of backdating for every week you wait.

What if the claim is refused or payments stop incorrectly?

What they’re really asking: How to challenge a wrong decision from HMRC.
How to answer it well: You can ask for a mandatory reconsideration within 30 days of the decision letter. Write to the Child Benefit Office explaining why you disagree and include any supporting evidence (birth certificate, proof of education). If the mandatory reconsideration doesn’t succeed, you can appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (Tax Chamber) within 30 days of the reconsideration outcome. HMRC can backdate any reinstated payments up to 3 months from when they receive the correct notification.
Common mistake: Starting a new claim instead of challenging the refused one. A new claim loses your original date and the opportunity to correct the existing decision.

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