Martin Lewis confirms HMRC's £50 compensation payments for 577,000 parents

Some of the 577,000 parents who experienced financial frustration earlier this month when their regular Child Benefit payment from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) was delayed due to an error, have started to receive compensation payments of £50 for their troubles from the tax department.

More than half a million parents across the UK woke up to a surprise deficit in their bank account, June 3, when nearly a third of all people due a payment were missed by HMRC. Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis confirmed on X that a few people had started to receive correspondence from the taxman with notice of compensation, but it does not appear that everyone affected has received a letter yet.

People who suffered knock-on financial consequences as a result of the payment delay can apply for further compensation from HMRC. After the error, with more than half a million parents likely to get a £50 apology, the taxpayer could be left with a hefty bill if all take up the offer.

READ MORE: Citizens Advice three-month passport warning to summer holiday Brits

One user on social media confirmed they had received a notification of compensation from HMRC. They tweeted: "First example I've seen of Child Benefit delay compensation from HMRC, £50 to acknowledge the error and inconvenience, asking for evidence of any extra costs incurred to be reimbursed."

Martin Lewis responded that he had seen some similar letters, but not many. He said: "Interesting, not many coming in to me yet either. I'll RT to see if there are others."

According to HMRC's latest figures from August 2023, there were 6.91 million families in receipt of Child Benefit payments. At the time, HMRC said it was "urgently" working on it after a "processing error".

An HMRC