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Newry parents claiming Child Benefit reminded to register births

Parents in Northern Ireland are being urged to register the birth of their newborns, so HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) can verify their Child Benefit claims.

 

New parents claiming Child Benefit reminded to register births - Newry newspapers

 

Normally, a birth must be registered before claiming Child Benefit. 

 

 

However, with some local register offices operating at reduced capacity and some parents unable to go to them because of COVID-19, HMRC announced in April that claims could be made without having to register the child’s birth first.

More than 100,000 parents across the UK have been able to take advantage of this temporary change, ensuring that they receive this vital form of financial support.

But to ensure they continue to receive the benefit they should register the birth as soon as they can if they have not done so already.

Local register offices in Northern Ireland are Covid-secure and are all operating at full capacity.

HMRC will be contacting anyone who has claimed since April but has not yet registered their child’s birth so that the claim can be verified.

Parents will receive an SMS text message or letter asking them to contact their local register office and make an appointment to register their child.

Parents will then need to provide HMRC with the birth certificate of their newborn.

When visiting their local register office to register the birth, they can request a short birth certificate free of charge.

If parents receive this letter or text but are currently unable to do this, they can contact HMRC to seek more time.

Karl Khan, Interim Director General for Customer Services, HMRC, says, “It’s really encouraging to see that parents have taken advantage of the change we put in place earlier this year to help ensure they can claim the financial support they’re entitled to.

 

 

“It is now crucial for parents who claimed Child Benefit without registering their child’s birth to do it now so that they continue to receive their benefit.”    

Child Benefit claims can only be backdated by up to three months, so it is important that new parents claim as soon as they can so that they receive the maximum financial support available.

They should then make an appointment to register the birth at the earliest opportunity so that HMRC can verify the claim.

 

Copywriter Ireland - Paul Malone, Tall Paul Marketing, Freelance Belfast Copywriter - Tall Paul Marketing Blog Writer - Copywriter NI

 

First-time parents will need to fill in Child Benefit claim form CH2 which can be found online and send it to the Child Benefit Office.

If they haven’t registered the birth because of COVID-19, they should add a note with their claim to let us know.

If parents already claim Child Benefit, they can complete the form or add their newborn’s details over the telephone on 0300 200 3100.

They will need their National Insurance number or Child Benefit number.

Child Benefit payments increased from 6 April this year to a weekly rate of £21.05 for the first child and £13.95 for each additional child.

 

 

Child Benefit is paid into your bank account, usually every four weeks.

Only one person can claim Child Benefit for a child.

For couples with one partner not working or paying National Insurance contributions, making the claim in their name will help protect their State Pension.

It is important for parents to claim Child Benefit, even if they choose to opt-out of receiving monetary benefits.

This will ensure they don’t miss out on National Insurance credits that help protect their State Pension.

It also helps children to get their National Insurance number automatically at 16.

A tax charge known as the High Income Child Benefit Charge applies to anyone with an income of over £50,000 who gets Child Benefit or whose partner gets it.

Even if they have to pay the tax charge, they could still be better off by claiming Child Benefit – the tax is 1% of Child Benefit for each £100 of income over £50,000.

 

 

You can use the Child Benefit tax calculator to work out how much you may have to pay, or you can opt-out of receiving Child Benefit payments altogether when you complete the form, so you won’t have to pay the charge but will still protect your State Pension.

 

Keep up to date with the latest Northern Ireland business news, marketing tips and tricks and advice for local businesses on the Tall Paul Marketing website.

 

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Posted by on Dec 29 2020. Filed under Community. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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