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Usually, to claim the benefit parents must register their child’s birth first.

However, many local register offices are operating at reduced capacity and some parents are unable to go to their local register office because of Covid-19.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) announced April that parents can claim Child Benefit without having to register their child’s birth first during the pandemic.

New parents are being urged to claim their Child Benefit even if they have not been able to register the birth of their child due to the coronavirus pandemic. Photo: Shutterstock

Angela MacDonald, Director General for Customer Services, HMRC said: "It’s really important that parents remember to claim Child Benefit, not just for the payments which we hope will provide vital support at this time, but also so they don’t miss out on National Insurance credits that help protect their State Pension.

“In addition, it helps children to get their National Insurance number automatically at 16.

“We are doing all we can to make this as simple and stress free as possible for parents.”

First time parents will need to fill in Child Benefit claim form CH2 found online and send it to the Child Benefit Office.

If they haven’t registered the birth because of COVID-19, they should add a note with their claim to let us know.

If they already claim Child Benefit, they can complete the form or add their new-born’s details over the telephone on 0300 200 3100.

They will need their National Insurance number or Child Benefit number.

Only one person can claim Child Benefit for a child.

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Thank you

Laura Collins

New parents urged to claim Child Benefit despite birth registration issues during pandemic