HMRC warns families thousands could be missing out on free cash – how to check

By Christopher Sharp, News Reporter

Families have been urged to see if they're eligible to claim child benefit (stock) (Image: Getty)

Thousands of families could be missing out on free money after HMRC warned that some people weren’t claiming child benefits.

In a post on the social media platform Twitter/X, they said: “You could claim up to £1,331 a year in Child Benefit for your first child and £881 a year for any other children you have. Claim Child Benefit on the HMRC app or online.”

The post came after figures from Policy in Practice revealed that around 765,000 parents had yet to claim money which could help them raise their children.

The research estimated that the parents were potentially missing out on around £17,000 by not applying for child benefits.

Families could get more support to help with the financial costs of their first child (stock) (Image: Getty)

The latest call to claim comes after HMRC confirmed a rise in how much parents could claim earlier this month.

As well as an uplift to £1,331 per year for families with one child, parents will reportedly receive £102.40 every four weeks for the first and only child. For any additional child, they will receive £67.80 every four weeks.

They said that families which had ongoing claims did not need to contact HMRC because the increased payment would be paid directly into their bank accounts.

Speaking about the changes, the Deputy Chief Executive and Second Permanent Secretary of the HMRC Angela MacDonald explained some of the changes.

Ms MacDonald 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.”

Celebrating the changes, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Laura Trott explained that the new measures would end “unfairness” in the system and the Government was now in a position to provide parents with more support.

She said: “We are ending the unfairness in the child benefit system, and as a result, 170,000 families will no longer have to pay back child benefit, and nearly half a million families will save an average of around £1,300 next year.

“The legacy of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine has put pressure on everyone’s cost of living. But, by taking difficult decisions, the economy is starting to turn a corner, and we can now provide further support to parents.”