Thousands of UK parents left empty-handed as Child Benefit payments hit a snag
Thousands of families missed out on their usual Child Benefit payments on June 3 thanks to a glitch in the system that delivers cash straight into claimants’ bank accounts.
Payment chaos hits 7 million UK households
Child Benefit, claimed by over 7 million households, is normally paid every four weeks on a Monday or Tuesday. But thousands didn’t receive their expected payments yesterday due to a technical fault.
HMRC has now stepped in and told affected parents when to expect their cash.
“We are very sorry that some customers did not receive their scheduled child benefit payments as expected and we understand the concern and difficulty this may have caused,” a spokesman said. “We have now fixed the problem and are putting measures in place to prevent this from happening again.
Affected customers will receive their missed payments on Wednesday morning (June 5). Anyone who suffered a direct financial loss can apply for compensation by filling out an online complaints form.”
What is Child Benefit?
The benefit pays families £1,331 a year for their first child and £881 for each additional child – with no limit on the number of kids you can claim for.
- Parents get £102.40 every 4 weeks (that’s £25.60 a week) for the first child.
- For each additional child, it’s £67.80 every 4 weeks (£16.95 a week).
Ongoing claimants don’t need to get in touch. Payments will continue to go straight into their bank accounts.
Need to update your bank details or address? You can do it quickly via the HMRC app or online at GOV.UK.
New parents urged to claim fast
HMRC is encouraging new parents to apply for Child Benefit ASAP. First payments can land in your account within three days.
You can also backdate claims by up to three months for newborns.
Angela MacDonald, HMRC’s Deputy Chief Executive, said: “The increase in Child Benefit rates for existing claimants is automatic and families do not need to contact us. New claimants should apply online or using HMRC’s app. Search ‘child benefit’ on GOV.UK for more information.”
