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?

It only carries on after 16 if you return the form to say they're still in full time education.

Not if it’s their mistake.

I’m not sure about that, unless rules have changed. We had it stop paying because we had moved house and missed a letter - once we told them we got the whole lot back in three payments, total was around 5k. This was about 15 years ago though.

I meant I was surprised she didn't notice that she was short of about £150 each month.

Believe me, many of us would notice that.

@GuineapigOlympics read @Comefromaway 's post. It says it all.
There is no requirement to re do English and Maths unless you "fail".

Very small minded.. most people would notice that missing.

Crazy to me that so many are suggesting she may not get it backdated as she didn’t know, so clearly doesn’t need it. Child benefit is under fire as it is (and Starmer’s Labour hasn’t readdressed the 2-child benefit cap, whether the parents, and hence the child, ‘need’ it or not)…if you’re entitled to it, you should get it. If she has taken a while to inform them (and it’s so easy to not notice when a particular payment stops, with so much going on in a bank account), then it should be backdated… though this administration (and those that came before) will no doubt use any available bureaucratic loophole to get out of it. She should have notified them when her second child continued in further education, granted, but I find the consistent intimation from many responders that she doesn’t need it so, ergo, shouldn’t get it, is disappointing from a ‘mums’ site.

None of this is true. Have you not read that there are more NEET 16-18s than ever?!

Your kids won’t have collected their stamp either so they will have gaps Intgeir national insurance claim.

Good point! The kids can contact HMRC to have that retrospectively filled. I had to do it at uni because they got confused (jobs from age 16 but part time).

How could you not have noticed?? Can’t have been that financially important to you and your family? I relied on it a lot.

Mine stopped for a few months when I moved house. They thought I had left the country for some reason. It was backdated and I didn't have to prove to anyone I needed it as I was entitled to it and hadn't received it.

I think to everyone who is saying ‘if you didn’t notice, there’s no hardship etc’ bear in mind if you owed HMRC/DWP three years worth of money, even if it were no fault of your own, their mistake, they’d want that money back they were owed and the ‘ooh you didn’t notice’ wouldn’t even come into it.

Once you have sorted this I would highly recommend getting the HMRC app installed on your phone. It lists all CB payments , dates etc, as well as salary and tax stuff.

You need to be more worried about paying money back! It's common for this to be paid after the 16th birthday by accident - double check everything before you claim!

Stops when they hit 16 unless you advise them your child is in full time education. You can reclaim for 16 year old but I think they only back date 12 weeks

Absolutely this for you and your children. I was surprised when I checked my NI contributions recently that I was credited for my college years. You don’t think anything about it at the time

it really doesn’t matter if you noticed it or not, people should stop piling on, you and your children are entitled to it and the attached contributions

This. Surely if you didn't notice it, you didn't need it

HMRC info on this: https://www.mynewsdesk.com/uk/hm-revenue-customs-hmrc/pressreleases/parents-of-teens-reminded-to-extend-child-benefit-claim-online-3385972

It’s not necessary but it’s something OP and her children ate absolutely entitled to

some people check their entitlements daily, weekly, yearly. That’s their call. It doesn’t stop them being entitled to them

i'm really struggling to understand why people don’t get this and the impact it will have to OP and their children NI payments if the don’t get what they are entitled to

yes I know that’s a lot of ENTITLED to

"Ask...."

This happened to us over 10 years ago.

No, we didn't notice.
Yes, we really needed the money.

I got it backdated, from memory a couple of thousand, they couldn't tell me why it had stopped said maybe a letter had been returned to them if delivered to wrong address. But they did say there's a limit and if it had gone on for much longer they'd not backdate and we'd have lost it.