HMRC urges parents 'don't miss' up to £1,331 with first payment in three days

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has issued an urgent reminder for eligible families to claim £1,331 a year in Child Benefit, with first payments taking as little as three days to land in bank accounts.

Families are eligible to start receiving payments as soon as three days after a child is born, with Child Benefit available to parents or guardians who are responsible for someone under the age of 16, or the age of 20 if the young person is in approved education or training. You can get £25.60 a week for your first child, then £16.95 a week for any additional child you may have.

But you need to register to receive the payment as it is not paid out automatically. In a post on X, HMRC said: "Got a newborn? Don't miss out on up to £1,331 a year with Child Benefit. Apply online to get your first payment in as little as three days," reports the Mirror.

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Child Benefit rules have just changed, so more families on higher incomes are now eligible for payments. The threshold for when you need to start paying back Child Benefit has risen from £50,000 a year to £60,000.

When someone in your household starts to earn over £60,000, you have to pay some of the benefit back at a rate of 1 per cent for every £200 you earn over this threshold.

Earn over £80,000 and you'll need to pay back 100 per cent of your Child Benefit - meaning you don't get anything. The point for when 100 per cent of your Child Benefit had to be paid back used to be £60,000. You need to live in the UK and be responsible for a child to claim Child Benefit.

This usually means they live with you, or you pay at least the same amount as Child Benefit towards looking after them.