Am I eligible for Child Tax Credit?

Child Tax Credit is paid to help with the costs of bringing up a child.

You do not need to be working to claim Child Tax Credit. Only one household can get Child Tax Credit for a child.

An overview of Child Tax Credit

Child Tax Credit is paid to support those raising a child. It is made up of three elements:

  • Family element
  • Child element 
  • Disabled child element

You can normally only get the ‘child element’ for up to two children. You can get money for a third (or more) child if they:

  • Were born before 6 April 2017
  • Qualify for an exception

You may be able to claim Child Tax Credit if you’re responsible for children:

How much might I get?

The amount of benefit you receive depends on how many children you’ve got and whether you’re

Child Tax Credit rates for the 2018 to 2019 tax year

Element

Yearly amount

Basic rate (the ‘family element’)

Up to £545

For each child (the ‘child element’)

Up to £2,780

For each disabled child

Up to £3,275 (on top of the child element)

For each severely disabled child

Up to £1,325 (on top of the child element and the disabled child element)

Use the tax credit calculator to work out how much you could get.

How will I be paid?

All benefits, pensions and allowances are paid into the account (e.g. a bank account) of the person mainly responsible for the child.

You’re either paid very week or every four weeks from the date of your claim up to the end of the tax year (5 April), unless your circumstances change.

What if I’m making a new claim?

Child Tax Credit is being replaced by Universal Credit.

You can usually only claim Child Tax Credit if you do not live in a Universal Credit area.

If you do live in a Universal Credit area, you can only claim Child Tax Credit if either of the following apply:

If you cannot make a new claim for Child Tax credit, you’ll usually need to apply for Universal Credit instead.

You can only claim Child Tax Credit for the children you’re responsible for.

How to claim

If you haven’t claimed tax credits before, you’ll need to order a claim form.

It can take up to two weeks for the claim form to arrive and up to five weeks to process a new claim.

You do not need a claim form to tell the Tax Credit Office about a change in your circumstances.

What should I do next?

Before you apply for Disability Living Allowance for your child, make sure you’re fully informed about the benefits you’re entitled to. Take a look at these resources: