Jade Wright

Since September 2025, Child Benefit eligibility for 16- to 19-year-olds has expanded to include home-educated teenagers and those unable to attend college for at least 12 hours because of illness or disability. Parents must extend claims by August 31 to avoid payment delays and can manage claims through the HMRC app or online. Families affected by the High Income Child Benefit Charge may soon be able to pay it through their PAYE tax code rather than Self Assessment, while those who previously opted out can restart payments digitally.

HMRC is reminding parents of 16- to 19-year-olds to confirm their children's approved education or training plans by 31 August to prevent Child Benefit payments from stopping automatically. Eligible children may continue receiving the benefit until age 20 if they remain in qualifying non-advanced education or approved unpaid training. Parents can extend claims through the HMRC app, GOV.UK, or the methods listed in their HMRC letter. They must report changes promptly, since payments made after a child becomes ineligible may have to be repaid.

New government powers under the Public Authorities Fraud, Error and Recovery Bill allow the Department for Work and Pensions to require banks to check accounts receiving certain benefits to identify fraud and incorrect payments. The initial focus is on Universal Credit, Pension Credit and Employment and Support Allowance, with State Pension excluded. Banks may only share limited account information that matches eligibility indicators, not full transaction data. Investigations will continue to be handled by human decision‑makers rather than AI, and full implementation is expected to identify up to 100,000 overpayment cases annually.

New UK rules will introduce a Deposit Return Scheme requiring retailers to charge a deposit on single‑use aluminium, steel and PET plastic drink containers, refundable when customers return them. Supermarkets and other eligible sellers must operate return points, either manually or through reverse‑vending machines, unless exempt. The rules aim to reduce waste across public spaces and are scheduled to take effect by October 2027.