What happens to Child Benefit when my child turns 16?

Full answer

Child Benefit does not stop the day your child turns 16 — it continues automatically until 31 August on or after their 16th birthday, aligned with the end of the academic year rather than their exact birth date. After that point, whether Child Benefit continues depends entirely on what your child does next. If they stay in "approved" full-time non-advanced education (such as A-levels, Scottish Highers, T-levels, or an equivalent qualification up to and including A-level standard, taken at school or college for more than 12 hours a week supervised study) or start approved unpaid training (certain government-approved schemes, not apprenticeships, which count as paid employment), you can notify HMRC and Child Benefit will continue until they finish that course or reach their 20th birthday, whichever comes first. Crucially, this continuation is not automatic — HMRC writes to the Child Benefit claimant shortly before the child turns 16 asking them to confirm the child's plans, and you must respond (usually online via GOV.UK or the HMRC app) to keep payments going; if you do nothing, payments will stop at the 31 August cut-off. If your child instead starts an apprenticeship, gets a job (including one that is not full-time), or claims certain benefits themselves (such as Universal Credit in their own right), Child Benefit stops for them from that point. Families receiving Child Benefit alongside the High Income Child Benefit Charge should note the charge calculation and any claim continue on the same basis — extending Child Benefit into further education still means the same HICBC rules apply if either parent's adjusted net income exceeds the relevant threshold.

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