Claiming post-16 child benefit for home ed child

[Toffeewhirl]

Just wondered if anyone on the Home-Ed board knows how to fill out the standard government letter asking whether my child is continuing in full-time education after 16? Ds2 is home educated and will continue to be home educated for now. He's not taking any formal lessons or courses at present because he's unwell and having treatment.

Does anyone know how to explain this on the form, which is clearly set up for children going on to structured courses at college? For instance, the form says: 'Where will they continue their education...?' And expects name and address of establishment. So do I put my home address?

I know we have the right to continue to claim. Just not sure how to go about it!

It's been a while since I worked in CB, but I'm 100% sure there is a specific home education form for 16-19 year olds.

From memory ( but its been a while) the home education form has appropriate questions for home schooled 16-19 year olds

Give Child Benefit a ring and see if they still do this specific form. If not, my apologies for out of date info.

@minou123 - thank you! That would make much more sense. I'll give them a ring tomorrow.

Hi, so long as your son was being home educated before his 16 birthday and before the last Friday in June which is the official day of end of year 11. Then you should be able to still claim so long as he is doing minimum of 12 hours of supervised studynot including homework or meal times.

@Apple42 - thanks. He definitely qualifies (home educated since he was 12), but it's how to convey it on the CB form that's the problem. Particularly as he's not doing any courses. Am hoping there's a specific form for home educators.

It's easier to do the online version. The form is laid out a bit differently and has a box to tick if home ed.

The hours of supervised study must be at least 12, but of course as you know that can be informal study. For example, I listed such subjects as "Practical maths", "Life skills", "Literacy", "Music" etc.

For the level, they just need enough information to be sure that it is non-advanced education. That is because university-level study has a different funding mechanism. So if your child were doing an Open University degree course then they you couldn't claim CB.

This does not mean that your child has to be registered for exams or doing formal study towards exams. If your child is doing GCSE-level learning then you can put "working toward GCSE". My daughter has a learning disability and is learning more basic things, so I put "working toward Functional Skills" even though we have no immediate plans for her to sit the FS exams.

Note that by the CB definition, home ed IS "an approved course of study" provided that it is non-advanced.

@Saracen - thank you 😊. I found the online form and there was a version for home educators, which made much more sense.

If anyone else has this issue, the form is here: www.gov.uk/child-benefit-16-19

You'll need the following info to hand:

How long your child is going to continue to be home educated (I have no idea, so I gave date as end of summer term 2026, which would make DS 20. This is the latest age you can claim CB. If DS goes to college/work before then, I'll update the tax office).

His/her last date at school, if relevant.

Date of deregistration, if relevant.

How many hours of supervised education per week he/she will have.

Subjects/courses studied.

Whether he/she is working towards any exams or not (if you say yes, you have to give dates, so I said no even though DS may end up taking exams).

@Saracen - and thanks for your detailed answer. I used your wording - 'working towards GCSE Maths', etc as this fits DS's situation perfectly.

Great! Glad it helped, and thanks for the update.

Re. The OU and home educated children between 16-18. There are situations where you can still claim child benefit while your child studies with the OU. In Scotland, at least, it is OK if the module is part of a wider programme of home ed. From what I remember it all revolves around what percentage of their study is with the OU.

Thanks for the clarification, @qwerty1972 ! I have wondered that myself; quite likely there are many young people who are working at an advanced level in one or more subjects and doing non-advanced study in other subjects and I don't know the details of how this affects benefits.

@Toffeewhirl Just a heads up that after I filled in the form to request continuing child benefit for my 15 year old home-educated daughter, the payments stopped and another form was sent out looking for more detailed information about her studies. I filled that out and her child benefit (plus the missing couple of months) started again. Don't panic if your payments stop - the system is a bit slow and clunky.

@Saracen What you describe was exactly our situation. I got the information I needed re. child benefit from Schoolhouse. This link below is very helpful:

www.schoolhouse.org.uk/resources/child-benefit/#:~:text=If%20your%20child%20is%20continuing,continue%20to%20receive%20Child%20Benefit.

We've successfully claimed child benefit for the last two years when my daughter was doing single 60 credit courses with the OU. She is going 'full-time' (120 credits) in October and her child benefit will cease although she is still just 17.

@qwerty1972 - thanks for the heads-up. Good to know.

Do we have to send a government dept confirmation of HE that's been completed on a weekly/monthly basis?

I don't understand what you mean by "government dept confirmation of HE", but no 😀

For benefits purposes, you just tell Child Benefit the details of your child's home education and that is it. Because home educators are not required to be on any register, no other proof is required.

I suppose if CB had reason to believe you were lying, they could investigate by contacting your LA to find out whether your child had been on a school roll at the time when you said they were HE...

My family was once subject to a random Tax Credits compliance check to prove that my 17yo existed and lived with us and qualified to be on our claim as a young person continuing in full-time education. I simply supplied them with a recent bank statement addressed to my teen at our address, plus a copy of the form I had submitted to Child Benefit detailing the education.

Thanks for your answer that's what I needed. I had to send yearly reports to my Home Education officer and I wasn't sure if any government dept would require the same. HE , Home education, it's not hard unless your thick!😂

Yes, so I guess if you were asked to prove that your child had been home educated then you could submit those letters, which would be convenient. But they shouldn't demand that because not all families would have anything like that. I think Child Benefit is clued up on that fact, because I've never heard of them being difficult about it.