Families claiming child benefit in Portsmouth, Fareham, Gosport and Havant has dropped in past year

“You can still claim Child Benefit from the birth date of the child and this can be done immediately."

The number of families across our region claiming child benefit has dropped slightly in the past year new figures have revealed.

But anti-poverty campaign group Turn2Us warned the ‘intimidating’ benefits system could deter families who need help from applying for cash they are entitled to.

Child benefit is usually paid every four weeks with families receiving £21.80 per week for the eldest child, and £14.45 for each subsequent child.

Families where one parent earns more than £50,000 a year are still eligible for the benefit, but will be taxed on it, so can opt out.

New HMRC data reveals there were 22,265 families in Portsmouth in receipt of the benefit on August 31 last year, a 2 per cent decrease on the same date in 2021. This meant there were 290 fewer families receiving child benefit, in line with national trends.

In the boroughs, the numbers are 10,370 families in Fareham, 270 or 2 per cent down on 2021; Gosport is 9,070, 70 or 1 per cent down; and in Havant it is 12,795, 110 or 1 per cent down.

In 2022 7.7m families across the UK were claiming child benefit, with 683,000 opting out.

SEE ALSO: Planning application for Debenhams store is withdrawn

This is a decrease of 43,000 claiming families, including those opting out, and 75,000 families receiving the payment when compared to August 2021.

David Samson, benefits specialist at Turn2us, said: ‘Overall, there are many people who are entitled to help but don’t access it which is why it’s important to keep checking eligibility. A lot of benefits go unclaimed, and it’s easy to see that this can often be due to how overly-complex the current system is.’

A spokesperson for HMRC stressed it is important to register for child benefit even if you don’t claim the money, as it helps parents qualify for National Insurance credits which help protect their state pension.

They said they urge families to claim the benefit, regardless of income, and the High Income Child Benefit Charge is widely advertised on social media, through pregnancy and parenting organisations.

They added: ‘Child benefit provides important financial support for millions of UK families and we encourage all families to claim it. Those on higher incomes who may be affected by the tax charge can find out all the information they need and follow a simple process at gov.uk.’