Child Benefit rates 2026/27
Child Benefit is paid at two weekly rates: a higher rate for the eldest or only child, and a lower rate for each additional child. The payment usually arrives every four weeks, on a Monday or Tuesday, into a single bank or building society account. Weekly payment is available instead for single parents and for people receiving certain other benefits.
The 2026/27 rates (from April 2026)
| Children claimed for | Weekly | Every 4 weeks | Over a year (52 weeks) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (eldest or only) | £27.05 | £108.20 | £1,406.60 |
| 2 | £44.95 | £179.80 | £2,337.40 |
| 3 | £62.85 | £251.40 | £3,268.20 |
| 4 | £80.75 | £323.00 | £4,199.00 |
| Each additional child beyond the eldest | £17.90 | £71.60 | £930.80 |
The four-weekly and annual figures are arithmetic equivalents — the weekly rate multiplied by 4 or by 52 — given so that readers can compare the benefit with bills that arrive monthly or yearly. The weekly rates are the figures HMRC actually pays from.
Comparison with last year
| Rate | 2025/26 | 2026/27 | Weekly increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eldest or only child | £26.05 | £27.05 | £1.00 |
| Each additional child | £17.25 | £17.90 | £0.65 |
The 2025/26 figures are shown for comparison only. The 2026/27 increase is about 3.8%, in line with the annual uprating. Rates for 2027/28 have not been announced and are omitted from this site entirely — any figure presented elsewhere as a 2027/28 rate is a projection, not a GOV.UK figure.
Three things the rates do not mean
First, there is no limit on the number of children: a fifth or sixth child is paid for at the same £17.90 additional rate. Second, the benefit is not means-tested — a high income does not reduce the weekly rate itself; it triggers the separate High Income Charge explained on the next page. Third, the payment is not reduced by the benefit cap in the way some benefits are: Child Benefit counts towards the cap, but the full Child Benefit amount is still paid, and it is other benefits that may reduce as a result.