Child benefit

Once your baby has arrived, you can claim Child Benefit, available to every family in the UK, regardless of individual circumstances.

If eligible you'll receive weekly payments of £20.30 for your oldest child and £13.40 for each of your other children.

To claim, you will need to have your child's original full birth certificate and a Child Benefit claim form, which you can download from HMRC website.

Changes from 2013

In 2013 this benefit is due to be scrapped for any family where one parent is a higher-rate taxpayer. From April 2011 the higher rate tax threshold is £43,875.

If both parents are working the combined household income can be as high as £80,000 and as long as neither income alone is subject to higher-rate tax the benefit will still be paid. If you are separated but not divorced be careful that your ex-partner's earnings are not used as part of your household income as benefit may still be stopped.

More information
For the latest up-to-date information, visit the Direct Gov website.