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Child Benefit overpayments

Child Benefit overpayments

If you're paid too much Child Benefit it's called an 'overpayment'. You must report any change of circumstances or any overpayment to the Child Benefit Office as soon as you know about it. You should answer any letters you get about it as quickly as you can.

Why overpayments happen

Overpayments usually happen when your Child Benefit payments haven't been adjusted to match your changed circumstances. If your circumstances have changed, you must tell the Child Benefit Office straight away. Some examples of changes you need to report include:

if your child over the age of 16 leaves relevant education or training
if you leave the UK for more than eight weeks
if your child leaves home

Find out what Child Benefit changes you need to report

Child Benefit if your child is in further education or training

How do you know if you've been overpaid?

The Child Benefit Office will send you a letter telling you that you've been overpaid. The letter will say:

how much you've been overpaid
why the overpayment happened
whether you have to pay the money back
what you can do if you want to know more about the decision or think it is wrong
that you will get another letter telling you how you can pay the money back

If you think you've been overpaid but haven't heard anything, don't wait for us to contact you. Get in touch straight away to explain the situation. We'll look into it and tell you if you're getting the right amount of Child Benefit.

If you know you've been overpaid but don't declare it

If you know you've been overpaid but don't do anything about it, you could be suspected of committing benefit fraud. It's the same if you deliberately fail to report a change in your personal circumstances. If you're prosecuted for benefit fraud you could be fined or get a prison sentence, as well as having to repay the overpayment.

Do you have to pay the money back?

If the overpayment was your fault - perhaps you didn't report a change in your circumstances or gave wrong information you may have to pay it all back. If it was caused by administrative error you may be asked to pay it back, particularly if you could reasonably be expected to realise you were being overpaid.

How you pay back overpayments

You usually have to pay the overpayment back in a lump sum. The back of the payslip that you get with the letter asking you to repay the money will tell you about the various ways you can pay the money back.

If however you are still getting Child Benefit you can also:

ask to have your Child Benefit payments withheld until you have paid all your overpayment back
ask to have an amount deducted from your Child Benefit payments until the overpayment has been paid back

If you need to talk to someone about how to pay back the money, please ring the telephone number shown on your letter.

If you want to appeal

You have the right to appeal against the Child Benefit Office's decision that you have been overpaid.

How to appeal against a Child Benefit decision

Where to get help and advice

You can get further help with any questions on overpayments from the Child Benefit Office. You can do this by sending us your query online.

Alternatively, you can call the Child Benefit Helpline on Tel 0845 302 1444 or textphone Tel 0845 302 1474. The Helpline is open between 8.00 am and 8.00 pm, seven days a week, except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.

If your preferred language is Welsh you can call on Tel 0845 302 1489, and if you live outside the UK you can call on Tel + 44 161 210 3086.

If you prefer you can write to us at:

Child Benefit Office
PO Box 1
Newcastle-upon-Tyne
NE88 1AA

Send us your Child Benefit query online