Financial Help and Support

Tax Credits

What are tax credits?

Tax credits are payments from the government. If you're responsible for at least one child or young person who normally lives with you, you may qualify for Child Tax Credit. If you work, but earn low wages, you may qualify for Working Tax Credit.

Who can get tax credits?

Nine out of ten families with children get tax credits, but you don't need to have children to qualify. You may also qualify if you are working and earning low pay.

Check to see if you qualify »

How much do you get?

The amount of tax credits you get depends on things like:

how many children you have living with you
whether you work - and how many hours you work
if you pay for childcare
if you or any child living with you has a disability
if you're aged 50 plus and are coming off benefits
Your payments also depend on your income. The lower your income, the more tax credit you can get.

Contact the Tax Credit Office

You can contact the Tax Credit Helpline on 0845 300 3900 or textphone 0845 300 3909 open from 8.00 am to 8.00 pm seven days a week except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.

If you're calling from overseas you can also contact the Tax Credit Office on +44 289 053 8192.

You can also read more information about it here.

Child Benefit

What is Child Benefit?

Child Benefit is a tax-free payment that you can claim for your child. It is usually paid every four weeks but in some cases can be paid weekly, and there are separate rates for each child. The payment can be claimed by anyone who qualifies, whatever their income or savings.

Who can get Child Benefit?

You may be able to get Child Benefit if any of the following apply:

your child is under 16
your child is over 16 and in education or training that qualifies for Child Benefit
your child is 16 or 17, has left education or training that qualifies for Child Benefit and is registered for work, education or training with an approved body

You can get Child Benefit even if your child doesn’t live with you. However, if they live with someone else, you can only get Child Benefit if:

you pay towards the upkeep of your child
what you pay is at least the same as the amount of Child Benefit you get for your child
the person bringing up your child is not getting Child
Benefit for them - if you and another person both claim Child Benefit for the same child, only one of you can get it

You can also get Child Benefit for a child even if you are not their parent, but you have to be responsible for them to qualify.

See if you qualify »
Find out about Guardian Allowance »