Children and childcare
Child Benefit calculator: the yearly amount and the tax charge
Two numbers, your children and the higher income in the home, give the Child Benefit you actually keep.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
Child Benefit for the 2026/27 tax year pays £27.05 a week for the eldest or only child and £17.90 a week for each further child, with no limit on how many children you claim for. Over 52 weeks that is £1,406.60 for one child, £2,337.40 for two and £3,268.20 for three, paid every 4 weeks into one bank account. The money is the same whatever you earn, but if the higher earner in the household has adjusted net income above £60,000, HMRC claws back 1% of the year’s Child Benefit for each £200 above that line through the High Income Child Benefit Charge, and all of it from £80,000. The calculator applies both rules at once: enter the number of children you claim for and the higher adjusted net income, and it shows the benefit for the year, the charge and what is left after it.
Child Benefit you keep in 2026/27
£2,337
£44.95 a week, paid every 4 weeks (£179.80)
| Child Benefit for the year (52 weeks) | £2,337.40 |
| High Income Child Benefit Charge (0%) | −£0 |
The charge takes 1% of the year’s Child Benefit for every £200 of income above £60,000, all of it at £80,000. Claim anyway if you opt out of payments: the claim gives National Insurance credits while a child is under 12.
A worked example
A couple with three children, the eldest aged 9, gets £62.85 a week: £27.05 for the eldest plus twice £17.90. That is £3,268.20 over the year. One parent earns a salary that puts their adjusted net income at £66,000, which is £6,000 above the threshold. Divided by £200, that gives a charge of 30% of the benefit, or £980, payable by the higher earner through their tax code or a Self Assessment return. The family keeps £2,288.20. Paying £6,000 more into a workplace pension would bring income back to the threshold and remove the charge entirely, which the guide to the charge sets out.
What the calculator assumes
It applies the 2026/27 weekly rates from HMRC to every child you enter, with the higher rate once for the eldest. In a blended household only one child gets the higher rate, even if each partner claimed it before moving in together. Separated parents each get the higher rate for the eldest child living with them. The full rate table, with the last two years for comparison, is on Child Benefit rates.
The income line is the higher earner’s estimate for the whole tax year; the charge is settled on the actual figure later.
Claiming and what else to check
You can claim 48 hours after registering the birth, online or by post, and HMRC backdates up to 3 months, so a late claim for a newborn loses money quickly. GOV.UK explains how to claim. If you look after a child whose parents have died, Guardian’s Allowance adds £22.95 a week on top, and it is not touched by the tax charge. Paying for nursery? Try the Tax-Free Childcare calculator.