HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has apologised after 500,000 child benefit claimants did not receive their payments yesterday (June 3).
Some 30 per cent of child benefit payments expected to be paid Monday were not made which equates to roughly half a million people being impacted by the delay
Last night, HMRC shared that it had fixed the issue causing the problem and that those affected would be paid by Wednesday morning.
The tax authority said: “We are very sorry that some customers did not receive their scheduled child benefit payments as expected and we understand the concern and difficulty this may have caused.
“We have now fixed the problem and are putting measures in place to prevent this from happening again.
“Affected customers will now receive their payments on Wednesday morning (June 5).
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HMRC is “very sorry” for the payment delay
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“Anyone who has incurred a direct financial loss because of the delayed payment can apply for redress by completing our online complaints form.”
The issue which resulted in the child benefit payment delay was caused by a processing error.
Those in receipt of the HMRC benefit are usually paid every four weeks on either a Monday or a Wednesday.
However, some claimants may receive child benefit weekly, including if they are a single parent or receiving certain other benefits from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
Yesterday, HMRC posted on social media: “We’re sorry that some customers’ child benefit payments have not arrived as scheduled and we are working urgently to resolve the issue.
“There’s no need for customers to call us and we will provide updates here as soon as they are available.”
The latest Government figures suggest that 6.91 million households claim child benefit payments as of August 2023.
As it stands, the weekly child benefit allowance is £25.60 for the only or eldest child with £16.95 a week being awarded for any additional children.
Britons may be eligible for the benefit if they are responsible for looking after children under the age of 16 and live in the UK.
Child benefit can also go towards someone’s National Insurance record which means those not working are encouraged to apply to ensure they claim the full state pension.
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Parents took to social media to slam HMRC over the payment issue
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If anyone has incurred a financial loss as a result of the child benefit payment delay, claimants can contact HMRC directly.
This can be done by complaining to the tax authority online but recipients will need to have their National Insurance number and two forms of identification on hand.
It is also possible to complain via post or over the phone with HMRC carrying out a “first tier” review of the complaint.
According to its website, the tax body will consider refunding any reasonable costs directly caused by their mistakes or delays which can include postage, phone charges and professional fees.