Child Benefit Calculator UK

How the Child Benefit Calculator Works

Enter number of children you are responsible for and adjusted net income of household’s higher earner. The calculator returns your weekly and annual Child Benefit, then applies the High Income Child Benefit Charge taper to show what you actually keep.

The 2026/27 rates are £27.05 per week for eldest or only child and £17.90 per week for each additional child. That makes £1,406.60 a year for one child, £2,337.40 for two and £3,268.20 for three. There is no limit on number of children you can claim for and the benefit is not means tested at point of claiming.

How the High Income Charge Works

The charge applies when higher earner in household has an adjusted net income above £60,000. For every £200 of income above that threshold, 1 percent of household’s total Child Benefit is clawed back, until at £80,000 entire amount is repaid.

A worked example: two children and a higher earner on £70,000. The benefit is £2,337.40 a year. Income exceeds the threshold by £10,000, so the clawback is £10,000 ÷ £200 = 50 percent, a charge of £1,168.70. The family still keeps £1,168.70, which is why partial clawback is rarely a reason to stop claiming.

The charge’s best known quirk is that it works on individual income, not household income. Two parents each earning £59,000 keep every penny on a £118,000 household income, while a single earner on £70,000 loses half. Since September 2025 the charge can be paid automatically through PAYE, so most people no longer need a Self Assessment return just to settle it.

Why High Earners Should Still Claim

This is the point that costs families most through simple inaction. Even if income above £80,000 means every pound gets repaid, registering claim still delivers two things money cannot easily replace later.

First, claiming parent receives National Insurance credits for every year they have a child under 12. For a parent not working or earning below the NI threshold, these credits count towards 35 qualifying years needed for a full State Pension and each missing year currently costs around £329 of pension every year for life. Second, a registered child automatically receives their National Insurance number before turning 16.

The clean solution for £80,000 plus households is to claim but opt out of payments. The credits keep accruing, charge never arises and nothing needs repaying.

Reducing the Charge Legitimately

The charge is based on adjusted net income, which is income after pension contributions and Gift Aid. That gives families in the £60,000 to £80,000 taper real room to act. A parent on £65,000 who adds £5,000 to their pension brings adjusted income to £60,000, wiping out entire charge while boosting their retirement pot, an outcome that often beats taking the £5,000 as taxed income. Salary sacrifice arrangements for pensions or cycle to work schemes work same way.

Claiming and Key Rules

Claims take about 15 minutes through HMRC app or GOV.UK, needing your National Insurance number, child’s birth or adoption certificate and bank details. Payments arrive every four weeks, weekly for single parents on request and crucially claims backdate only 3 months, so delay is permanently lost money.

Child Benefit runs until 31 August after the child turns 16, or to age 20 in approved full time education or training. The two child limit that applied to Universal Credit never applied to Child Benefit, so every child counts.