Child Tax Credit

Applies to: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Who does it help?

picture of a family Child Tax Credit is money paid, by HM Revenue and Customs, to parents with children at home or other people responsible for bringing up children. It does not matter whether you are working or not. You can get Child Tax Credit if:

you are 16 or over, and
you are responsible for at least one child.

The children must be under 16. But if they are 16, 17 or 18, you can still get Child Tax Credit if they are doing certain courses or if they have been accepted on certain education or training courses.

Is it means-tested?

You can claim Child Tax Credit as long as your gross income is not more than £50,000 a year (or £66,000 if you have a child under one). If you have a partner, you must make a joint claim and your partner's income will count towards the limit.

Savings do not affect your claim but interest from savings counts towards your income.

What help does the benefit provide?

Child Tax Credit is paid in cash so you can spend it on what you want. It is usually paid into the bank or building society account of the child's main carer. You can be paid at a post office in some cases.

Child Tax Credit is paid for a year but it is very important to tell HM Revenue and Customs (link opens in a new window) about changes in your life which could affect the money you get. You must report changes within three months of them happening.

How much does it pay?

It is very complicated to work out how much Child Tax Credit you might get. It is made up of two parts:

A family element. This is paid to any family with responsibility for one or more children. If you have a child in your family who is under one, you will get an extra amount of family element, sometimes called the baby element.
An element for each child. You get the same amount regardless of the age of the child. The maximum amount for each child is £2,300 a year.

There are extra amounts for children who are disabled.

What you will actually get depends on your annual income and your family circumstances.

If your child dies, you will carry on getting Child Tax Credit for eight weeks after the death.

The Turn2us Benefits Checker can help you calculate your eligibility for Child Tax Credit.

Child Tax Credit does not include any help with the costs of childcare. However, if you are working and you are on a low income, you may have the right to Working Tax Credit and this benefit does include some help with childcare costs.

Is this a taxable benefit?

Child Tax Credit is not a taxable benefit.

How to claim

Claim on form TC600. To get the form, contact the Tax Credit helpline on: 0845 300 3900.

You may be able to claim backdated Child Tax Credit for a maximum of 93 days. You do not have to give any reasons why you did not claim earlier.

You have to renew your claim every year. If you do not renew it, your Child Tax Credit will stop.

Documents you need

You must give your national insurance number and evidence of who you are, for example, a birth certificate or driving licence as well as proof of your annual income, for example, bank statements or pay slips. You will normally also have to give the national insurance number of your partner if they live with you.

Further help

For more help, you can phone the Tax Credit helpline on: 0845 300 3900.

The Citizens Advice website can give you more information about Child Tax Credit (link opens in a new window) . They produce useful fact sheets (link opens in a new window) that you can download.

Directgov, the government website, has more information about Child Tax Credit (link opens in a new window).

Find an adviser tool.

Useful links

Turn2us - to access benefits & grants.