Answers · UK 2025/26

How much is child benefit in 2026/27?

For 2026/27, child benefit is £26.05 per week for your eldest or only child, and £17.25 per week for each additional child. Payments are made every 4 weeks. The High Income Child Benefit Charge starts to claw it back when either partner earns above £60,000.

Last updated: 10 June 2026Last reviewed: 10 June 2026How we verify

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Child benefit for 2026/27 is £26.05 a week for the first or only child, and £17.25 a week for each additional child. Payments are made every 4 weeks directly into your bank account, so you receive £104.20 for one child every 4 weeks, or £173.40 for two children, and so on. Over a full year, child benefit for one child totals about £1,354.60; for two children about £2,252.60; for three children about £3,150.60. You can claim for children under 16, or under 20 if they are in approved full-time education or training. There is no means test to claim child benefit -- anyone with a qualifying child can claim -- but the High Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC) applies if either partner has adjusted net income above £60,000. From £60,000 to £80,000, the charge gradually claws back the payment, and at £80,000 the full amount is taken back. Even if you expect to pay the charge, it is still worth claiming because claiming child benefit for a child under 12 also builds up National Insurance credits toward the State Pension, which can be valuable if a parent is not working. If you have opted out of receiving child benefit payments to avoid the charge but your income has fallen below £60,000, you should restart the claim. You claim through the HMRC website or the HMRC app. Child benefit is not taxable income in your hands but the HICBC is charged through Self Assessment. Use an income tax calculator to check whether you are above the £60,000 threshold and what your net child benefit position is after the charge.