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Written question asked by Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Labour) on Wednesday, 7 January 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 21 January 2026. It was answered by Lord Livermore (Labour) on Wednesday, 21 January 2026 on behalf of the Treasury.

Child Benefit

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made towards (1) identifying, and (2) compensating, families affected by the inadvertent legislative change that was reversed by the Child Benefit (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2025 (SI 2025/818); and when they expect to complete the correction exercise.

Answer

The correction exercise opened to claims for both Child Benefit and Child Tax Credit on 1 October 2025.

As affected individuals may not have had an active claim, HMRC is unable to identify affected individuals from its records and is reliant on them contacting HMRC. Prior to the launch, HMRC provided messaging directly to third-party welfare rights stakeholders to advertise the exercise and encourage claimants to self-identify. HMRC officials worked with the Department for Education and the Department for Work and Pensions to amplify this messaging through homeschooling networks and local authorities, respectively. The exercise also received national press coverage.

The communications campaign is expected to run until October 2026. HMRC will continue to publicise through stakeholders, and consider further press releases or targeted social media.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL13370
Session
2024-26
Subjects
Child benefit
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk