SA29. Your social security insurance, benefits and healthcare rights in the European Economic Area
Benefits
23. Benefits for children
UK Child Benefit and Child Tax Credit
If you are in the UK or another EEA country:
- and you are employed or self-employed in a job in which you must pay contributions under the UK scheme,
- or you are getting one of the following UK benefits:
- contribution-based Jobseeker's Allowance
- Guardian's Allowance
- Incapacity Benefit
- State Pension
- Widow's Benefit/Bereavement Benefit
- Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit,
you can usually get UK Child Benefit and Child Tax Credit for your children, even if they are living in another EEA country.
Children's allowance from another EEA country
If you are in another EEA country:
- and you are employed or self-employed;
- and you are insured under that country's insurance scheme;
- or you are getting one of the following foreign benefits:
- unemployment benefit
- benefit for orphans
- benefit for sickness
- old age pension
- benefit for an accident that happened when you were at work
- benefit because you have an industrial disease on the official list,
you can usually get the children's allowance paid by that country. You can get it even if your child stays, or your children stay, in the UK. Any UK insurance you have paid may help the other country decide if they can pay you their children's allowance.
Getting benefit from two different countries
It may be that you and your husband, wife or civil partner could both get benefit from two different EEA countries for the same child. If so, both countries will not have to pay all the benefit. The country where one of you works and pays into the social security scheme will usually pay.
If you or your husband, wife or civil partner are working in different countries and you are both paying into the social security scheme in each country, the country the child lives in will usually pay benefit. The other country may pay something too. They may do this if you would get more for the child in their country. They may pay the extra you would have got there.
If you want to know more about the Child Benefit, write to:
HM Revenue and Customs
Child Benefit Office (GB)
Washington
Newcastle-upon-Tyne
NE88 1AA
UK
email: child.benefit@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk
- or visit www.hmrc.gov.uk/childbenefit
If you are in the UK, you can phone the Child Benefit Office (GB) on:
tel: 0845 302 1444
If you are phoning from outside the UK
tel: 44 191 225 1000
- To find out more about Child Tax Credit, visit www.hmrc.gov.uk/taxcredits
You can also phone HM Revenue and Customs by calling the Helpline on the following numbers:
England, Scotland and Wales – 0845 300 3900
Northern Ireland only – 0845 603 2000
Textphone for people with hearing or speech difficulties:
England, Scotland and Wales – 0845 300 3909
Northern Ireland only – 0845 607 6078