Child benefit...can anyone help me?

[Jellyboobs]

I work full time and so does my partner, I will receive full maternity pay from my job for up to 9 months, and will be off work for up to 9 months. I earn 12,000 and he earns 20,000, are we eligible for child benefit or not?
If we are, how do we apply and when?

Thanks, I think this is probably an easy question but....

yes you will be eligible you usually get given an application form in your "bounty" pack at the hospital. You need to register the birth first as you have to send off the birth certificate.

child benefit is currently a universal benfit, payable to all parents regardless of income. But in April 2013 higher rate taxpayers will lose their child benefit

You do not need a Bounty pack to get the form. You can download it from HMRC here.

Click on here child benefit - it is the government information website. And also try entitled.co.uk - it is a calculator which works out what, if any, benefits you maybe entitled too. Direct.gov is also really great for explaining anything

The website i posted the link for also has the form so need to get the crappy bounty pack and all the junk mail it entails!