Child Benefit rates explained

What you get for one child or more, and how to claim without taking the money.

The short answer

Child Benefit pays £27.05 a week for your eldest or only child and £17.90 a week for each additional child in 2026/27. It is paid every four weeks, or weekly in some cases. If you or your partner earn above the income threshold, a tax charge called the High Income Child Benefit Charge claws some or all of it back.

The rates

Eldest or only child: £27.05 a week, about £1,407 a year.
Each additional child: £17.90 a week, about £931 a year.
So two children get £44.95 a week, and three get £62.85 a week.
Where children live in different households, each carer may get the higher rate for their eldest child.

Even if you do not want the money

If you or your partner earns over the threshold, you can still claim Child Benefit and choose not to receive the payments. This matters because claiming protects National Insurance credits for a parent who is not working, which count towards the State Pension. See Child Benefit over £60,000 and the Child Benefit calculator.

Other things to know

You must tell the Child Benefit Office about changes, for example if a child moves home or you separate.
Child Benefit counts towards the benefit cap, but is not itself limited by it.
If you are under 16 and have a child, you can claim yourself, which is usually better.
Child Benefit sits alongside other help, such as Tax-Free Childcare and Universal Credit.

Where to learn more

This guide is for information only and is not tax, benefits or financial advice. Rules and amounts can change, so check the official pages before you rely on them.