Number of children

If you are expecting a child you can find out your entitlement when they are born by including them in the number of children you have. We will ask about their date of birth later in the calculator. More information is available on help during pregnancy. If you can claim Child Benefit for a child then you should include them in the number of children that you enter. Only one family can make a claim for each child, though on occasion one parent claims Child Benefit for a child and the other claims Child Tax Credit for them. In general the rules in benefits and tax credits follow the rules in Child Benefit - so if you (or your partner) are not claiming Child Benefit for a child then you should normally not include them in benefit and tax credit claims and should not include them in the calculator. However, it is possible in some instances to claim Child Tax Credit for a child even when you are not claiming Child Benefit for them. If you are not receiving Child Benefit for a child but they would count as a qualifying young person for Child Benefit purposes and they normally live in your household then you should be entitled to Child Tax Credit for them. You should get specialist advice on your entitlements if this applies to you. If you are in doubt about whether you can claim for a child see below for more information about: shared custody children between 16 and 20 care and adoption rules in out-of-work benefits Shared custody If you share custody of a child it is the person with 'main responsibility' who is normally eligible to claim Child Benefit and Child Tax Credit. In deciding who has main responsibility for a child the number of days the child lives with you is important (the "normally living with" test). However this is not the only factor that HM Revenue and Customs consider. In Child Tax Credit the 'normally living with' test can be considered on a more flexible basis than Child Benefit. For official information see HM Revenue and Customs' advice on shared custody. Children between 16 and 20 Child Benefit is paid for young people aged 16, 17,18 and 19 if they count as a Qualifying Young Person. If you claim Child Benefit for a child aged 16 years or over who is sick or disabled you may instead be better-off if they claimed Employment and Support Allowance. For more information see Employment and Support Allowance in youth. The rules for entitlement to Child Tax Credit are the same as for Child Benefit - anyone who counts as a Qualifying Young Person is eligible for inclusion in a claim for Child Benefit and for Child Tax Credit. A Qualifying Young Person is someone who is: 16 years old until 31 August following their 16th birthday, or in full-time further education, or in approved training, or aged 16 or 17 and registered for further education The definition of Qualifying Young Person includes not just young people receiving full-time education but also those receiving approved training under unwaged work-based training programmes. The maximum upper age limit to be counted as a Qualifying Young Person is 20. This is to enable support to continue for a young person who is already on a training course, either until they finish their course of education or training or they reach the age of 20, whichever is sooner. Young people in Higher Education do not count as a Qualifying Young Person. For official information on Child Benefit see the Child Benefit section of HM Revenue and Customs website. Care and adoption If you have a child who is in care, or if you are caring for or adopting a child, then you should only include that child if you are eligible to receive Child Benefit for them. If you are unsure you should check with HM Revenue and Customs to see how the rules affect you. For official information on Child Benefit see the Child Benefit section of HM Revenue and Customs website. Rules in out-of-work benefits People making a new claim for means-tested out-of-work benefits (Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance) now have additional amounts paid for qualifying children through Child Tax Credit. The calculator works out entitlement to out-of-work benefits on this ‘adult-only’ basis. For more information see child additions in Income Support and JSA.

If you are expecting a child you can find out your entitlement when they are born by including them in the number of children you have. We will ask about their date of birth later in the calculator. More information is available on help during pregnancy.

If you can claim Child Benefit for a child then you should include them in the number of children that you enter. Only one family can make a claim for each child, though on occasion one parent claims Child Benefit for a child and the other claims Child Tax Credit for them.

In general the rules in benefits and tax credits follow the rules in Child Benefit - so if you (or your partner) are not claiming Child Benefit for a child then you should normally not include them in benefit and tax credit claims and should not include them in the calculator. However, it is possible in some instances to claim Child Tax Credit for a child even when you are not claiming Child Benefit for them. If you are not receiving Child Benefit for a child but they would count as a qualifying young person for Child Benefit purposes and they normally live in your household then you should be entitled to Child Tax Credit for them. You should get specialist advice on your entitlements if this applies to you.

If you are in doubt about whether you can claim for a child see below for more information about:

shared custody
children between 16 and 20
care and adoption
rules in out-of-work benefits

Shared custody
If you share custody of a child it is the person with 'main responsibility' who is normally eligible to claim Child Benefit and Child Tax Credit.

In deciding who has main responsibility for a child the number of days the child lives with you is important (the "normally living with" test). However this is not the only factor that HM Revenue and Customs consider. In Child Tax Credit the 'normally living with' test can be considered on a more flexible basis than Child Benefit. For official information see HM Revenue and Customs' advice on shared custody.

Children between 16 and 20
Child Benefit is paid for young people aged 16, 17,18 and 19 if they count as a Qualifying Young Person.

If you claim Child Benefit for a child aged 16 years or over who is sick or disabled you may instead be better-off if they claimed Employment and Support Allowance. For more information see Employment and Support Allowance in youth.

The rules for entitlement to Child Tax Credit are the same as for Child Benefit - anyone who counts as a Qualifying Young Person is eligible for inclusion in a claim for Child Benefit and for Child Tax Credit.

A Qualifying Young Person is someone who is:

16 years old until 31 August following their 16th birthday, or
in full-time further education, or
in approved training, or
aged 16 or 17 and registered for further education

The definition of Qualifying Young Person includes not just young people receiving full-time education but also those receiving approved training under unwaged work-based training programmes.

The maximum upper age limit to be counted as a Qualifying Young Person is 20. This is to enable support to continue for a young person who is already on a training course, either until they finish their course of education or training or they reach the age of 20, whichever is sooner. Young people in Higher Education do not count as a Qualifying Young Person.

For official information on Child Benefit see the Child Benefit section of HM Revenue and Customs website.

Care and adoption
If you have a child who is in care, or if you are caring for or adopting a child, then you should only include that child if you are eligible to receive Child Benefit for them. If you are unsure you should check with HM Revenue and Customs to see how the rules affect you.

For official information on Child Benefit see the Child Benefit section of HM Revenue and Customs website.

Rules in out-of-work benefits
People making a new claim for means-tested out-of-work benefits (Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance) now have additional amounts paid for qualifying children through Child Tax Credit. The calculator works out entitlement to out-of-work benefits on this ‘adult-only’ basis. For more information see child additions in Income Support and JSA.