Child Benefit CH2 Kinship Carer Scotland

When a child moves in with a kinship carer in Scotland, Child Benefit doesn't transfer automatically. Submit your own claim using Form CH2 promptly to establish your claim date and protect payments within the 3-month backdating limit.

How to Claim Using Form CH2

Form CH2 is the HMRC form for claiming Child Benefit for a child who has come to live with you. You can download it from GOV.UK or request a paper copy by calling the Child Benefit helpline on 0300 200 3100.

The form asks for the child's details, your relationship to them, and when the child started living with you. You don't need a court order or social work letter to submit it — HMRC's competing-claim rules generally prioritize the person the child lives with, subject to the birth-parent contribution rule below. Send it as soon as the child arrives, even if you're still gathering birth certificates or waiting for legal proceedings.

Child Benefit pays £27.05 per week for the eldest or only child and £17.90 for each additional child in 2026-27.

The Competing Claims Problem

HMRC only pays Child Benefit to one person per child. If the birth parent is already receiving it, your CH2 triggers a priority review. Priority generally goes to the person the child lives with. If the birth parent continues contributing to the child's upkeep at an amount matching the Child Benefit rate, the parent's claim can take precedence.

Under the 8-week rule, the parent's existing claim can continue for up to 8 weeks after the child moves out — unless the parent contacts HMRC to end it earlier. During this period, you may not receive payment even though you've submitted a valid claim.

If the parent refuses to stop their claim, HMRC investigates and applies these priority rules. If you experience delays, ask HMRC for a written update and keep a record of every call.

Backdating

HMRC backdates Child Benefit claims by up to 3 months from the date your CH2 is received. That's 3 months from when the form arrives at HMRC, not from when you started caring for the child. If the child moved in four months ago and you only submit now, you lose one month of payments permanently.

This is why submitting CH2 on day one matters, even without supporting documents. HMRC stamps the receipt date and processes the evidence later.

Why Child Benefit Matters Beyond the Cash

The weekly payment is one reason to claim. The other is National Insurance credits. Receiving Child Benefit for a child under 12 gives you Class 3 National Insurance credits automatically. These credits count toward your State Pension qualifying years.

For grandparents who have stopped working or reduced their hours to care for a kinship child, those credits can be the difference between a full and a reduced State Pension. Even if your income is high enough to trigger the High Income Child Benefit Charge (individual income above £60,000), it's usually worth claiming and paying the tax charge purely for the NI credits.

How Child Benefit Affects Your Kinship Allowance

If you receive a council kinship allowance under the Scottish Recommended Allowance framework, the council will deduct your Child Benefit from the gross rate. For example, if the SRA for a 10-year-old is £206.71 and Child Benefit is £27.05, the council pays you £179.66 (before any UC deduction).

The deduction is supposed to reflect your actual Child Benefit award — not an assumed amount. If you haven't started receiving Child Benefit yet because of the competing claims process, tell the council kinship team. They should not deduct it until HMRC confirms your award.

Step-by-Step Timeline

1. Day 1: Download and submit Form CH2 to HMRC
2. Weeks 1-8: The birth parent's existing entitlement may continue after the move while HMRC applies its priority rules
3. After HMRC's priority review: Payment is backdated by up to 3 months from the date HMRC receives your CH2
4. Ongoing: Payments run every 4 weeks (or weekly if you're a single carer and request it)

If you're juggling Child Benefit alongside the council kinship allowance, Scottish Child Payment, and Universal Credit, the Scotland kinship financial help guide shows exactly how each payment interacts with the others and which ones your council can legally deduct.

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