Benefits for children over 16

If your child is in approved training or stays on at school or college, you can continue to claim benefits for them until they reach the age of 20.

Who can claim?

You can continue claiming Child Tax Credit and Child Benefit for children over 16 if they are:

• completing a course of full-time, non-advanced education at school or college
• attending a specific Government work-based programme as an unwaged trainee.

When will the payments end?

As long as the unwaged training or non-advanced course began before the child's 19th birthday, payments will continue until:

• the child reaches the age of 20, or
• the course or training ends if this is earlier.

If your child is staying on at school or college after 16 or is an unwaged trainee, remember to inform:

• the Tax Credits Helpline
• the Child Benefit Office.

If you do not notify these organisations, Child Tax Credit will stop automatically on the first September after the child's 16th birthday.

NOTE: If you have not notified HMRC and the Child Benefit Office and your payments have stopped, call them immediately to have your payments reinstated.

What if their course started after age 19?

In some circumstances, families can continue claiming benefits for a young person up to age 20 even if their course or unwaged training began after their 19th birthday. The young person must:

• have been in continuous education or training and
• have been offered a place or enrolled on a non-advanced course or training which does not begin until after their 19th birthday.

What happens to my other benefits?

If you are getting Income Support or Income based Jobseeker’s Allowance and still receive child additions for them, these payments can also continue.

Additional help

If your child is staying on at school or college after their GCSEs or is in training they may be able to get additional financial help.

They may also be able to claim:

• Housing Benefit - if they live away from home, but this may not cover the full rent
• Income Support - if their course lasts for more than 12 hours a week and, for example, they:
  • live away from home and you have no contact with them
  • are staying on at school or college or are an Entry to Employment (E2E) trainee
  • have a child of their own.

When your child leaves school or college

When your child leaves full-time non-advanced education, Child Benefit and Child Tax Credit can sometimes continue for a limited period.

Contact:

• HMRC's Child Benefit Office
• the Tax Credits Helpline
• the Welfare Rights Service.

Remember to tell the office(s) dealing with your benefits if your child:

• leaves full-time education or unwaged training
• starts receiving a training allowance
• starts claiming benefits in their own right.