HM Revenue and Customs today issued a warning to anyone getting GCSEs results - and said parents could miss out by payments of £117.21 a month. The results today will decide if hundreds of thousands of pupils will decide to stay in full time education next year.

However, if parents fail to take action by August 31, they face having their Child Benefit cancelled - losing around £1,406 a year. In a post on X today HMRC said: ”Has your child recently received their #GCSE results? If they’re staying in education or training next year, you’ll need to update your Child Benefit claim on the HMRC app or online by 31 August.

“Don’t miss out on up to £1,406 a year. “ It directed parents towards a Gov.uk page explained what people need to do - to view it click here.

Officials said anyone with children who are getting results this month with GCSEs, A Levels and National 5, Highers and Advanced Highers in Scotland, may need to take action. Currently, those eligible will get £27.05 a week for their first child and £17.90 a week for any children after that. For the 2026/2027 tax year, parents will receive £1,406.52 a year for your eldest or only child, and £930.80 a year for each additional child.

So if they have two children eligible, that’ll amount to £2,337.40. If one child is staying in education after getting their results and people fail to take action by the end of August they’ll be effectively losing £ 117.21 a month.

People can claim child benefit if they’re ‘responsible for the child’, they are under 16 years old - or under 20 years old and still in full-time non-advanced education or training.

About 1.5 million parents of 16-19 year-olds received reminder letters earlier this year. Parents of 16-19 year-olds were reminded to extend their Child Benefit claim if their teenager is staying in certain types of education or training after their GCSEs or National 5s.

Child Benefit will automatically stop on 31 August on or after a child’s 16th birthday unless parents confirm their teenager’s plans. Around 1.5 million reminder letters were sent earlier this year.

HMRC said: “You must tell HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) about their education or training. Only the person who is claiming Child Benefit can do this.

“You may be sent a letter in your child’s last year at school asking you to tell HMRC about your child’s plans.

“Your Child Benefit automatically stops on 31 August on or after your child’s 16th birthday if:

• they leave education or training
• you do not tell HMRC that they’re staying in education or training
• they’re staying in a type of education or training where you cannot get Child Benefit”

Last year, 874,000 parents extended their claim, with more than half doing so online or through the HMRC app.

Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Chief Customer Officer, said: “Child Benefit is a real financial boost for families, so if your teenager already knows they’re staying in education or training after their GCSEs or National 5s, you don’t need to wait for our letter. You can extend your Child Benefit claim today in minutes via the HMRC app or online at GOV.UK.”

Child Benefit can continue for teenagers studying full time in non-advanced education, or on unpaid approved training courses. Visit GOV.UK for the full list of eligible courses.

Check if your child’s education qualifies

You can get Child Benefit if your child is in full time non-advanced education.

Full time is more than an average of 12 hours a week of supervised study or course-related work experience. If your child has an illness or disability, they can do fewer hours if that’s appropriate for them.

Non-advanced education includes:

• A levels or similar, for example International Baccalaureate
• T levels
• GCSEs
• Scottish Highers
• NVQs and most vocational qualifications up to level 3
• home education
• study programmes in England
• a pre-apprenticeship

Education where you cannot get Child Benefit

You cannot get Child Benefit if your child is studying for a:

• university degree
• BTEC Higher National Certificate
• pre-degree course - for example a foundation diploma or access to higher education course
• Higher National Certificate (HNC) or Higher National Diploma (HND) level 7
• Certificate of Higher Education (CertHE)

If a Child Benefit claimant or their partner has an individual income of between £60,000 and £80,000, the higher earner may be liable for the High Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC). Use the Child Benefit tax calculator on GOV.UK for an estimate. Parents can pay the charge through their PAYE tax code using the HICBC digital service, or through Self Assessment.

HMRC added: “Parents only need to act if their teenager is starting a new course or qualifying training in September. Those already partway through a course previously notified to HMRC do not need to contact us.

“Full-time education means more than an average of 12 hours a week of supervised study or course-related work experience. This includes home schooling. If a child has an illness or disability, they may be able to do fewer hours where this is appropriate for them.”