HMRC has now confirmed when half a million parents will receive their child benefit payments after a glitch this morning.
It comes after the tax office confirmed an issue with its systems.
This issue has now been resolved, but 500,000 parents who rely on this cash have still not been paid.
Thousands of parents have taken to social media to air their frustrations about not receiving the cash.
Some have been left without enough money to pay their bills, and others claim that they've been left without the means to top up their electricity meters.
HMRC has now confirmed that all affected families will have to wait another working day for their benefits to be paid.
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It means these families won't be paid their child benefit until Wednesday, June 5.
Claimants due to receive their payment tomorrow are not affected by the glitch and will be paid as usual.
An HMRC spokesperson said: "We are very sorry that some customers did not receive their scheduled child benefit payments as expected and we understand the concern and difficulty this may have caused.
"We have now fixed the problem and are putting measures in place to prevent this from happening again.
"Affected customers will now receive their payments on Wednesday morning (June 5).
"Anyone who has incurred a direct financial loss because of the delayed payment can apply for redress by completing our online complaints form."
How can I apply for compensation?
If you've been affected by the payment glitch and have suffered a financial loss, you can now apply for compensation.
HMRC recommends that affected customers make a complaint online via its "iform".
You can do this by visiting www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-revenue-customs/contact/complain-about-hmrc.
If you’re signing in to the service for the first time, you’ll need a Government Gateway user ID and password.
If you do not have a user ID, you can create one when you use the service.
If you're signing in for the first time as an individual, you’ll need your National Insurance number and two of the following:
- A valid UK passport
- A UK photocard driving licence issued by the DVLA (or DVA in Northern Ireland)
- A payslip from the last 3 months or a P60 from your employer for the last tax year
- Details of a tax credit claim if you made one
- Details from a Self Assessment tax return if you made one
- Information held on your credit record if you have one (such as loans, credit cards or mortgages)
When making a complaint, you'll need evidence to prove that you've been put into financial difficulty because you haven't received your child benefit payment on time.
You can also complain by phone or post.
HMRC's own guidance says that telephone complaints are usually dealt with faster, so we'd recommend phoning 0300 200 3100.
If you write to the Child Benefit Office you'll need the following to hand:
- Your National Insurance number
- Your full name, address and telephone number
- Details of what happened and when
- Any reference numbers you’ve been given
- How you'd like your complaint settled
- The word "complaint" at the top of your letter
The Child Benefit Office will usually respond within 15 working days.
If you're unhappy with the response, ask the Child Benefit Office to review it - its letter will tell you how.
And if you're unhappy with the final decision, you can contact the Independent Adjudicator by visiting www.gov.uk/guidance/contact-the-adjudicators-office.
What is child benefit?
Child benefit is a valuable income top-up for families, worth £25.60 a week for an eldest or only child and £16.95 a week for any other children.
Over 7.65million households claim the free cash, according to the latest data, but not everyone is paid on the same day.
Child benefit is usually paid every 4 weeks on a Monday or Tuesday.
If you're a single parent or receive certain other benefits, such as Universal Credit, you can have the money paid weekly.
If you are claiming child benefit for a child under 12, you also receive National Insurance (NI) credits.
NICs count towards your State Pension so claiming the benefit can be useful if you are missing any.
The reason NICs are so important is because you need 35 NIC years to receive a full new State Pension.
You are considered a parent, or responsible for a child, if you live with them and are paying at least the same amount as the Child Benefit rates to look after them - for example for food, clothes or pocket money.
It's important to note that eligibility changes if a child goes into hospital or care and if your child starts to live with someone else.
If you're not sure about your eligibility, you can contact the child benefit office.
How much is child benefit worth?
THERE are two child benefit rates, one for the eldest child and another for younger children.
- You get £21.15 per week for your eldest or only child (£1099.80 a year)
- You get £14 for each of your other children (£728 per year, per child)
- You get the money for each child under 16 (or under 20 if they stay in approved education or training)
- If families split up, how much you'll get for each child depends on how you claim.
- If you have 2 children and one stays with you and the other stays with your ex-partner, you’ll both get £21.15 a week for each child.
- If one parent claims for all the children, you get £21.15 for the eldest and £14 for each younger child.
- Only one household can claim for each child
Since 2013, if you or your partner earns over a certain amount, you also have to start paying some child benefit back.
Go over a second threshold and you have to pay it back in its entirety.
This is through what's known as the High Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC).
The threshold through which you have to start paying money back is now £60,000 after it rose from £50,000.
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The rate at which you have to pay the entire allowance back is £80,000, which recently increased from £60,000.
It's up to you to pay the charge, though, and if you don't, you can be stung with a nasty bill.
How to claim child benefit
YOU can make a claim for child benefit 48 hours after you've registered the birth of your child, or once they move in with you.
It can be backdated by up to three months if you don't claim it straight away.
Applying is straightforward and can be done in minutes onlnine.
Parents with a newborn baby should make a claim online as soon as possible and could then receive their first payment in as little as three days.
Only one person can get child benefit for a child, so you need to decide whether it's better for you or the other parent to claim.
The person who claims will get National Insurance credits towards their state pension if they're not working.
National Insurance credits build up your entitlement to the state pension.
You can make a claim online by visiting www.gov.uk/child-benefit/how-to-claim.