From April, the government will rewrite child benefit forms to highlight\nthe risks to stay-at-home parents\u2019 retirement income if they fail to register\nfor child benefit. The forms are available online and given to new mothers in\nhospitals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Registering for child benefit allows parents with children under 12 to\nbuild up their entitlement to state pensions, even if they do not pay national\ninsurance (NI) contributions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, a tax on child benefit for higher earners, introduced in 2013,\nhas discouraged hundreds of thousands from claiming the perk. Since 2013,\n516,000 parents have opted out of child benefit \u2014 84% of them women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
About 1.1m families are affected by the tax charge on child benefit,\nwhich reduces payments when one parent earns \u00a350,000 or more and wipes out the\nbenefit for those who earn \u00a360,000 and above. The rule applies to married and\ncohabiting couples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Families with a higher earner can opt not to receive any child benefit.\nHowever, they still need to register and opt out. Parents who fail to do so\nmiss out on the NI credits.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
From April, the government will rewrite child benefit forms to highlight the risks to stay-at-home parents\u2019 retirement income if they fail to register for child benefit. The forms are available online and given to new mothers in hospitals. Registering for child benefit allows parents with children under 12 to build up their entitlement to state … <\/p>\n