Brits issued 3-day HMRC alert or risk having £1,355 benefit 'stopped'

Parents have just three days to tell HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) their 16-19 year-old is continuing education or training, or their Child Benefit payments will stop.

More than 509,000 parents of teenagers, who are staying in full-time education or approved training, have already extended their Child Benefit claim. A record-breaking 67% completed it online, guaranteeing their payments to continue in September. Those who still need to extend their claim have until Sunday, August 31, or payments will automatically stop. Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC's Chief Customer Officer, said: "Teenagers can be expensive and Child Benefit is an important source of income for your household.

"As soon as you know what your teen is doing in September, don't miss out. You can extend your claim in minutes through the HMRC app or online to ensure your payments continue."

Child Benefit is paid at £26.05 a week (£1,354.60 a year) for the eldest or only child, and £17.25 a week (£897 a year) for each additional child.

The benefit can continue to be paid for young people who are studying full-time in non-advanced education and unpaid approved training courses. Visit GOV.UK for a full list of approved courses.

HMRC has written to 1.5 million eligible parents reminding them to extend their Child Benefit claim for their 16 to 19-year-olds.

The quickest and easiest way to ensure payments continue is to extend via the HMRC app or online through the digital service. Parents can also scan the QR code in their reminder letter, which will take them straight to the digital service.

However, parents should check their household income before extending, as those earning between £60,000 and £80,000 may be affected by the High Income Child Benefit Charge.

For families who fall into this category, the online Child Benefit tax calculator provides an estimate of how much benefit they will receive and what the charge may be.