Parents with teenagers could lose out on Child Benefit after 31 August

If you or any of your employees have children aged 16 to 19, it is worth noting an important HMRC deadline that could affect household finances.

What is changing?

Child Benefit automatically stops on 31 August after a child turns 16, unless a parent confirms their teenager is staying in full-time education or approved training.

Parents with children in this age group need to update HMRC before 31 August 2026 to keep their payments going.

Missing the deadline could mean losing up to £1,406 a year in Child Benefit, so it is a straightforward reminder that could make a real difference to you and your staff.

How employees can extend their claim

Extending a claim is quick and can be done online through GOV.UK or via the HMRC app.

Employees simply need to search “extend Child Benefit” and confirm their child’s education or training status.

What about higher earners?

Employees or a partner earning more than £60,000 who extend their Child Benefits claim will still be liable for the High Income Child Benefit Charge.

This charge can now be collected directly through PAYE, rather than requiring a separate Self Assessment payment.

HMRC’s online Child Benefit tax calculator can be used to work out the benefit entitlement and the value of the charge.

What you can do

A short reminder in a staff newsletter, intranet post or team briefing could be enough to stop eligible employees losing out unnecessarily.

It costs nothing to pass on and could be worth over a thousand pounds a year to the right member of your team.

If you have any questions about the High Income Child Benefit Charge more broadly, please get in touch with our team.