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Child Benefit is a monthly tax-free payment made to anyone bringing up a child or young person in Northern Ireland.  It is paid for each child or young person that qualifies and isn't affected by income or savings so most people bringing up a child or young person can get Child Benefit.

You do not need to be the parent of the child or young person to qualify, but you must be responsible for them.

Child Benefit is paid for each child who is:

• aged under 16
• aged between 16 and 19 - up to 20 in some cases - and is in relevant education or training
• 16 or 17 years old and has recently left relevant education or training - however, they must have registered for work or training with the Careers or Connexions Service, Ministry of Defence, Department for Employment and Learning (in Northern Ireland) or an Education and Library Board (in Northern Ireland)

If you have just arrived in Northern Ireland and are working and paying National Insurance contributions and income tax, you may be able to claim child benefit immediately.  Otherwise, you may have to wait until you and your child have been in Northern Ireland for 182 days in a 52-week period.

Frontier Workers

Cross border workers must apply for child benefit in the country were they work.  Unless one parent works each side of the border, then the family can choose where to apply.

EU Citizens are usually required to claim benefits in the country where they last worked and paid Social Insurance Contributions.

If a person and his/her spouse or partner are covered by more than one country’s social security system, only one country’s equivalent of Child Benefit will be paid in full. If the country responsible for paying the full benefit pays less that the other country, the other country may pay the client the difference.  For example   this may mean that a frontier worker living in Ireland and working in Northern Ireland will receive Child Benefit from Northern Ireland and possibly a top-up from Ireland.

Bundling - When applying for a top up of Child Benefit from the South, NI Child tax credits are bundled together with Child benefit received in the North and the total amount is taken away from the Irish Child Benefit rate.  The shortfall, if any, is then paid out as a top-up. Currently this process can take approximately twelve months.

For further information please contact the Child Benefit Section of the (Irish) Department of Social Protection:

• Telephone 00353 74 916 4400 or Locall 1890 400 400
• Online enquiry form

Living and working in different countries

You can usually only get UK Child Benefit if you live in the UK, but you might also be able to get it if you live in one of the EEA countries or Switzerland. However in some cases you might be able to claim a child allowance from the country where you work. For example you might live in Northern Ireland and work in the Republic of Ireland.

If you live in the UK but you work in another EEA country

If you live in the UK but you work in another EEA country or Switzerland, you might make contributions to the other country's social security scheme. If these are equivalent to UK National Insurance Contributions (NICs) you can claim children's allowance from that country. If the amount you get is less than the UK rate of Child Benefit, HM Revenue & Customs may make up the difference.

If you live in another EEA country but you work in the UK

You may still be able to get Child Benefit if you live in another EEA country and you work in the UK. It doesn't matter whether you're employed or self employed.

If you're getting a child allowance from the country you live in and it's less than the UK rate of Child Benefit, HM Revenue & Customs may make up the difference.

Contact the Child Benefit Office

See also

• HM Revenue and Customs | Child Benefit
• NIDirect
• Citizen Advice Bureau

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