Is Child Benefit worth claiming if I earn over the threshold?

The two things the claim protects, beyond the money

1. Your state pension. A Child Benefit claim gives the claiming parent National Insurance credits while caring for a child under 12. If you're out of work or earning below the NI threshold and don't claim, you can end up with gap years that permanently reduce your state pension — a four-figure lifetime cost hiding behind a form.
2. Your child's NI number. Claimed children are automatically issued their National Insurance number at 16; unclaimed ones face a manual process.

The high-earner trap, and the fix

The High Income Child Benefit Charge tapers payments back once the higher earner's adjusted net income passes £60,000, with full clawback by £80,000 (thresholds raised in April 2024 — many older articles still quote £50,000). The mistake is concluding "not worth claiming, then" — because the pension credits above come from the claim, not the payments. The fix: claim, but tick the box to opt out of payments. Full protection, zero tax admin.

What it's worth

Child Benefit pays £26.05 a week for your eldest child (April 2026 rate) — over £1,350 a year, uprated most Aprils, with a lower rate for each additional child. Check gov.uk for the live rates.

One more detail worth knowing

Make sure the lower-earning or non-earning parent is the named claimant — the NI credits go to whoever claims, and they're wasted on a parent already paying NI through work. Existing claims can be transferred. Our maternity pay guide covers the rest of the new-parent money stack.