How to Fill Out and Submit the HMRC Child Benefit Form CH2

The HMRC Child Benefit form CH2 is the paper application you use to claim Child Benefit when you cannot or would rather not claim online. It works for both a first claim and for adding another child to an existing one.¹ For the 2026–27 tax year, an approved claim pays £27.05 a week for your eldest or only child and £17.90 a week for each additional child.²

When to Use the Paper CH2 Instead of Claiming Online

HMRC treats the online service as the main route. If you have a Government Gateway or GOV.UK One Login account, you can make a new claim or add a child through your account, and the claim generally moves through the system faster because details are validated on the spot.¹

The paper CH2 is there for everyone else: people without a Government Gateway account, appointees claiming on someone else’s behalf, and anyone who finds the digital process unworkable. You can download the form from the GOV.UK publications page or ask for a paper copy by calling the Child Benefit helpline on 0300 200 3100, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.³

What to Get Ready Before You Start

Pull these together before you sit down with the form:

Your National Insurance number. If you don’t know it, you can find it through the HMRC app, on GOV.UK, or on a payslip or P60.⁴
Your partner’s National Insurance number, if you have a partner.¹
Your child’s original birth or adoption certificate. Photocopies aren’t accepted. If the child was born outside the UK, you also need to send their passport or the travel document they used to enter the country.¹
Your bank or building society details for payments.

You can submit the form without the birth or adoption certificate, but HMRC warns this will slow things down. They may write asking for the certificate later, and if you don’t send it when asked, you may have to start the claim again.¹

How to Fill In the Form

The form’s own instructions say to write clearly in capital letters and to answer every question that applies to you.⁵ Every name and date you write should match the birth or adoption certificate exactly. Misspelled names and wrong dates are the most common reason a claim stalls.

The form works through the following in order:

Your details: name, address, date of birth, and National Insurance number. If you already receive Child Benefit for another child, this is how HMRC links the new claim to your existing file.
Your partner’s details: their name and National Insurance number, if applicable.
The child’s details: full name, date of birth, and your relationship to them.
Living arrangements: who the child lives with and whether anyone else is already claiming Child Benefit for them. Only one person can receive Child Benefit for a given child, so HMRC uses this to prevent overlapping claims.
Bank details: the account where you want payments to go.
Declaration and signature: sign and date to confirm the information is correct.

If You’re Claiming for Three or More Children

The main CH2 has space for two children. For a third child or more, complete the separate CH2(CS) continuation form and send it in with your CH2.³ Child Benefit itself has no two-child limit; you’re paid for every qualifying child in your household.

Where to Send the Completed Form

Post the completed CH2, any CH2(CS), and any original certificates to:

HMRC Child Benefit Office
PO Box 1
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE88 1AA⁴

Because you’re posting an original birth or adoption certificate, tracked or recorded delivery is worth the extra cost. HMRC usually returns original documents within about four weeks of receiving them, whether or not the claim itself has been decided by then.¹

Processing Times and Backdating

HMRC doesn’t publish a fixed processing time, and the wait has varied. As of late 2025, some postal claims were taking close to 20 weeks. Online claims tend to move faster, which is part of why HMRC steers people to the digital service.

An approved claim is backdated up to three months from the date HMRC receives your application, or to the child’s date of birth, whichever is later.⁶ So a long processing time doesn’t cost you money, as long as you get the CH2 in within three months of becoming responsible for the child.

Once the claim is approved, payments go to the account on the form. Child Benefit is usually paid every four weeks. You can ask for weekly payments if you’re a single parent or if you or your partner receive certain other benefits.

Payment Rates for 2026–27

For the tax year running 6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027, the weekly rates are:

A family with two children receives roughly £2,337 a year at those rates. HMRC reviews the figures each tax year, so check the rates page on GOV.UK if you’re reading this later.

Check the High Income Threshold Before You Claim

Before you send the CH2, work out whether the High Income Child Benefit Charge will affect you. If you or your partner has an adjusted net income above £60,000, HMRC claws back some or all of the Child Benefit through a tax charge, and the charge falls on whichever partner has the higher income.⁷ For every £200 of income above £60,000, you owe 1% of the total Child Benefit received that year. At £80,000, the charge equals 100% of the benefit.

The person liable for the charge must register for Self Assessment and file a tax return to pay it.⁸ “Adjusted net income” includes taxable employment benefits such as a company car or private medical insurance, so a £57,000 salary with £4,000 of taxable benefits crosses the line.⁷

If the charge would wipe out the whole benefit, you can still complete the CH2 and then opt out of receiving payments while staying registered. Registration alone gives you Class 3 National Insurance credits toward your State Pension for children under 12, and it triggers a National Insurance number for your child before they turn 16.⁹¹⁰ Opting out is done through your HMRC online account or by contacting the Child Benefit Office, and you can restart payments if your income later drops below £60,000.

1
GOV.UK. Child Benefit: Make a Claim
2
GOV.UK. Child Benefit, Guardian’s Allowance and Tax Credits — Rates and Allowances
3
GOV.UK. Claim Child Benefit if You Cannot Claim Online
4
HM Revenue and Customs. HMRC Child Benefit Form CH2 Notes
5
HM Revenue and Customs. HMRC Child Benefit Form CH2
6
GOV.UK. Child Benefit Payment Dates
7
GOV.UK. Child Benefit Tax Calculator
8
GOV.UK. Self Assessment Tax Returns: Who Must Send a Tax Return
9
GOV.UK. High Income Child Benefit Charge: Opt Out of Child Benefit Payments
10
GOV.UK. National Insurance Credits: Eligibility