Child Benefit Contact Number

Important: Calls to this number cost 7p per minute, plus your operator’s access charge. We will connect your call directly to the UK Government helpline. We are not associated with UK Government.

Child Benefit Contact Number

The process of organising your Child Benefits can seem complicated, but with all the information that you need in one place, this guide will assist in making your planning easier. Use the facts and figures and the links below, designed to help you through the different processes of Child Benefit to which you are entitled. Whether it is to find out how to qualify, to calculate your rates and dates of payment, eligibility, or even how to make a complaint, all the data you need is here. After all, you should not miss out on the various benefits to which you’re entitled.

What is Child Benefit and am I eligible to claim?

Child Benefit Contact NumberIn the UK, parents or guardians of children up to a certain age may be eligible to claim regular payments from the state. There are certain guidelines that have been implemented by the government to parents or carers who have children and would like to claim. We have compiled and designed this website to guide you through the process of assessing your eligibility, method of claiming and how to contact the Child Benefit Office, in a transparent way. Make use of the contact number provided and the step by step guide that will show you how to get started with your claim, what you’ll get and how to make an appeal in the event of an unsuccessful application.

Claiming Child Benefit

Claiming can be done simply by filling out a form and sending it to the following address:

Child Benefit Office (GB)
Washington
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE88 1ZD

New Claims can take a considerable time to process, however they may be back-dated so you don’t miss out. Call the support number above for advice with your application.

What are the Child Benefit Rates?

The amount of financial assistance you may be entitled to receive will vary under certain conditions, including the number of children you are claiming benefit for, whether you are the parent or guardian and what your income is. You can obtain further information by dialling the Child Benefit Telephone Number. The official Gov UK website should be checked for the most up to date information on rates, however the following information explains how much you can expect to claim depending on these variables.

Weekly Rates:

Who are you Claiming for? Child Benefit Rate
Eldest or only child £20.70
Additional children (per child) £13.70
Guardian’s allowance (additional) £16.55

To clarify, you will receive £20.70 per week for the first or only child which you claim for. For each additional child born thereafter under your care you will receive £13.70 in benefits, per child per week. There is then an additional guardian’s allowance which you are entitled to if you are taking care of somebody else’s child(ren) in the case of, for example, the death of that parent.

In any case, if you are not receiving the correct amount whether it is above or below your entitlement, you can dial the Child Benefit Phone Number on 0300 200 3100.

How and when is Child Benefit paid?

The normal payment schedule is every 4 weeks into your chosen bank account on either a Monday or Tuesday. This can be arranged to be a weekly payment if you are a single parent or under other specific benefits, such as Income Support or Employment and Support Allowance.

Welfare payments cannot be paid into:

  • Trust Fund accounts
  • Children’s accounts
  • Joint accounts
  • Business accounts
  • Mortgage accounts
  • A Nationwide account under somebody else’s name
  • Credit card accounts

Additionally, Individual Savings Accounts have limits on them as to how much money can be paid into them, and are not recommended. For further guidance you can speak to a representative by calling the Child Benefit Contact Number listed above.

If you have an income of over £50,000

As a parent, if you or your partner have an individual income that exceeds £50,000 per year, you may be subject to an additional tax charge, also referred to as the ‘High Income Child Benefit Charge’. For questions on whether this charge applies to you, and how much this charge is, please call the Child Benefit Helpline on 0300 200 3100.

In summary, you can claim for financial assistance under the following conditions and guidelines:

  • If you are the parent, carer or guardian of a minor younger than 16 years old, or if they are younger than 20 years old and remain in an approved training or education
  • One person only may claim and receive financial assistance per child
  • If any conditions or circumstances change then the office must be informed
  • If you or your partner’s personal income exceeds £50,000, you may be subject to an additional tax charge
  • Even though you may not require welfare payments, filling in the claim form has additional benefits including:
    • Helping you with National Insurance credits which contribute to your State Pension
    • Allowing your child to be registered and obtain a National Insurance number when they turn 16 years old

Call the Child Benefit Claims Number on 0300 200 3100 to get started today.

Child Benefit Complaints and Disputes

The office can be contacted directly if you feel that the service you received is not up to standard, for excessive delays of your welfare payment or for mistakes. Find out more on how to submit your complaint by reading below or calling the Child Benefit Contact Number above.

Call the Office to submit your complaint

To start the process of amending your complaint, please dial our Child Benefit Complaint number on 0300 200 3100, and one of the friendly advisors will help you through the process.

What information will I need to submit my complaint?

You will need the following information:

  • National Insurance Number
  • Your name and contact details
  • A description of your complaint, with reference numbers where appropriate
  • How you would like to solve the raised issue

The office aims to provide you with a transparent system through which to apply and obtain your entitlements. In the event of this not going smoothly or when you feel that you are entitled to more, or something different, the service will do their best to rectify the problem at hand. These issues will responded to within 15 working days. Please include as much information as possible, including reference numbers, dates and past correspondences.

Disputing the outcome of your complaint

Whilst everything will be done in order to deliver the service you expect, if you are still unhappy with the manner in which your complaint has been dealt with, there are further options for you to explore.

Firstly, you can ask to have the response re-evaluated. The letter in your original communication will outline how to do this. If this still leads to no changes in the approach, an alternative would be to contact the Independent Adjudicator (http://www.adjudicatorsoffice.gov.uk). A third and final recourse would be to contact your MP and request to have your complaint reviewed by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (http://www.ombudsman.org.uk). These alternative processes will make a free and impartial investigation into the original complaint made, and will be dealt with accordingly depending on their ruling of the complaint.

Child Benefit for children in hospital or care

Please contact the office if your child enters care for more than 8 weeks, or goes into hospital or ‘residential care’ for more than 12 weeks, as this may affect your payments. Normally, you are no longer entitled to financial help if the time exceeds the 8 or 12 week timeframe. Call the Child Benefit Contact Number for further information and advice.

To clarify, ‘residential care’ is different to ‘care’ because it is paid by your local council, usually as a result of mental or physical disability of the child. Additionally, the hospital may be in a foreign country if the child is spending less than a year outside the United Kingdom.

  • Exceeding the 8 or 12 weeks in care typically means that your child is no longer entitled to the normal Child Benefits that it would receive.
  • If the child is required to enter the hospital or care again within 28 days of discharge, the total length of time spent away from home will be included within the 12 week limit.

Exceptions to the 8 and 12 week time limit in hospital or care:

  • Children in care, if they spend 24 hours or more a week at home
  • Children in UK hospitals or residential care for which money is regularly spent on them
  • Children in hospitals out the UK with regular visits back to the UK and and where money is regularly spent on them. Your partner’s money will contribute to this if you are married (or civil partners) and living in the same residence.

If you are unsure or have general enquiries, please call the Child Benefits Telephone Number and one of the experts will be happy to assist you, give you further information and a recommendation on what to do next.

Opening times:

8am to 8pm, Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm Saturday. The Helpline is not available on Sundays, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day.

You may experience a shorter wait to have your call answered if you call between 8am and 11am, Wednesday to Friday.

If you’re calling from abroad, you can find an alternative local rate number on the official website.