Will I ever be able to receive backdated child benefit for previous years?

lolabeans

Hello, I've just realised I could have claimed child benefit for my son last year (I stupidly cancelled it due to my husband earning £57K in 2023-4, because I didn't know that we could have kept it and just paid the HICB Tax on the £7K), and my daughter since she was born in 2021.

I just called HMRC reinstating the benefit for my son, and the nice guy I spoke to said I would be paid for my son backdated to April this year (not any further back sadly). He also said if I added my daughter then I would also receive second child allowance for her dating back to the start of this tax year.

My question is: will I never be able to claim the child benefit I should have been entitled to prior to the current tax year? In my daughter's case  3 year's worth an din my son's also 3 year's worth as I actually didn't start claiming his until he was 2. The HMRC man on the phone said they could not go back further than the start of the current tax year, but I thought I saw somewhere that this might change in 2026?

Any help appreciated. TIA.

molerat

The new system to give NI credits for those that did not claim due to HICBC back to 2013 should be in place later this year. You won't be able to get the CB payments though, there are strict rules on that.