Child Benefit – Parents experiencing long processing delays
New parents who have applied for Child Benefit are experiencing long wait times for their applications to be processed and even to receive a response from HMRC. These delays have been going on for some time, with parents who have already submitted an application waiting months for a response from HMRC. It seems that there is not much prospect of the processing times being reduced in the near future.
What is Child Benefit?
Child Benefit can be claimed by someone who is responsible for bringing up a child and it is often the first benefit that a parent will claim which is specifically linked to having a baby.
This benefit can provide vital financial support to parents at a time of increased household expenditure due to having a newborn baby often coupled with a reduction in income as parents are receiving Statutory Maternity or Paternity Pay or Maternity Allowance instead of their normal salary.
Applications for Child Benefit and more information on the eligibility criteria can be found at www.gov.uk/child-benefit.
Payments for new claims of Child Benefit will automatically be backdated by three months from the date of submission or to the baby’s date of birth, whichever is later.
How long is the delay?
At the time of writing the HMRC website says that for a Child Benefit application made in late October 2025 – a reply can be expected in mid-March 2026. That is a delay of four and a half months, almost 20 weeks!
On the website it also states that they are currently processing claims that were received in June 2025, which again is well over four months ago.
Parents can check the progress of their own Child Benefit claim via the HMRC website: https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/guidance/Check-when-you-can-expect-a-reply-from-HMRC
Further information
If you would like further information on help what financial support your household may be entitled to, contact our Family Benefits Advice Service for free, impartial and confidential advice.
Contact us by emailing fbas@employersforchildcare.org – we are here to help.
