Just realised child benefit has stopped years ago! What can I do to get this paid back?

[METR0NOMY]

Two kids 19 and 16. We used to get child benefit but just realised it hasn’t been paid for ages. I know we don’t get it for the 19 year old but we should still get it for the 16 year old. I can’t even find the last time it was paid on my bank account, it could be years. Why would it have stopped?

How long ago?
Once they reach 16 you only get it if they stay in full time education - but it's not automatic. You have to tell the child benefit people.
Edit: this might sound rude but if you didn't notice did you really need the money?

Do you or your dp/dh earn over the threshold? Think it’s £60k.

I’m on hold to them now

No

I can’t see far enough back on bank statements to see when it stopped

How could you not have noticed? I don't think it can get backdated unless exceptional circumstances apply.

I don’t pay enough notice to my bank account it seems

Did you fill in the form to say your children were in full time education post 16. If not, it's stopped.

Has it been going into your husband's account (if you have separate ones)?

You will have had a notification of some sort to ask what your 16 year old is intending to do and if college, uni etc which one.

I think you’ll struggle to get it backdated as you can’t suggest it was hardship if you didn’t even notice you didn’t have it, and I think they only allow 3 months back regardless…..

Other reasons can include they might have reason to think you moved the children abroad, the claim was changed to the other parent (it's not officially a payment to a mother despite what people say. It's a payment to a notified parent, usually the mother), change of bank details,

This.

You won’t get it back dated.

If you didn’t notice it, then surely you don’t need it?

@METR0NOMY

you could contact them online too

Imagine if they auto paid it for over 16 year olds, so many don’t continue education it’d be an overpayment nightmare with people getting into debt. If you needed it you’d have noticed…

How did you get on with them @METR0NOMY?

My brother realised that he never filled in the form to say that his daughter was staying on at 6th form. It was too late as they only backdate it for 3 months.

So. It stopped when she went into sixth form. It was a stressful time for our family due to her sister going into hospital so I possibly forgot to send the form. We were okay for money but husband just lost his job hence me going through finances now, sister is still in hospital.
they have backdated theee months and said to write to them to ask but probably can’t be backdated

I understand that used to be the case because not everyone went onto further education after school at 16, CB was paid to the families of those that stayed in full time education post 16 up to a maximum age of 19, hence the need to declare it one way or the other at 16. However, In 2013 the legal mandatory minimum age for leaving education was raised to 17 then again in 2015 to 18. I therefore think its odd that the CB system hasn’t moved forward in line with legislation and that you still have to declare at 16 to get payments when by law your child has to access education until at least 18.

It's really not law that they have to be in education until they're 18.

They have to be in education or training e.g. apprenticeship. They can't just leave and get a job at 16 any more.

The entitlement for a child to stay in education until the age of 18 hasn't changed. There was that entitlement when I was at school/6th form back in the 80's 90's.

Everyone is sent a form some time during Year 11 and you have to declare whether your child is staying at school/6th form, going to full time college or getting an apprentiship/job with training. If it is the first two you continue to get child benefit. if the latter, you don't.

See the screenshot from Manchester Council Website.