Child Benefit to rise from April 2027 under new rates
The UK government has announced new rates for the 2027/28 tax year. Child Benefit for the eldest or only child will rise to £28.00 a week and to £18.55 a week for each other child, while Guardian’s Allowance will increase to £23.75 a week.
Author: Thames Compass editorial teamPublished: 2 min read
New amounts from April 2027
The UK government has announced increases to family benefits for the 2027/28 tax year. The decision was recorded in a written statement to the House of Commons on 28 October 2026, and the rates table on GOV.UK matches these amounts. The law requires the rates of Child Benefit and Guardian’s Allowance to be reviewed each year against price growth.
| Benefit | Currently (2026/27) | From 2027/28 |
|---|---|---|
| Child Benefit, eldest or only child | £27.05 a week | £28.00 a week |
| Child Benefit, each other child | £17.90 a week | £18.55 a week |
| Guardian’s Allowance | £22.95 a week | £23.75 a week |
Child Benefit rates will rise in line with inflation, measured by the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) for the year to September 2026, which stands at 3.5%. Guardian’s Allowance will increase by the same percentage. The new amounts are due to take effect from 12 April 2027 and will apply across the United Kingdom.
The HMRC table marks the 2027/28 amounts as provisional. The weekly increase is 95p for the eldest or only child and 65p for each other child. Over 52 weeks, this comes to about £49.40 a year for the first child and £33.80 a year for each subsequent child (editorial calculation).
Guardian’s Allowance
Guardian’s Allowance, paid to people bringing up a child whose parents have died, will rise from £22.95 to £23.75 a week, an increase of 80p.
What this means for you
The new rates will apply to people receiving Child Benefit and Guardian’s Allowance in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, so the change affects families with children across the country. People with higher incomes may be subject to the High Income Child Benefit Charge, so it is worth factoring this into household budgeting.
Sources
This article was prepared with the help of AI from the listed sources and checked by our editors before publication.
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- Photo 1: „merry christmas, child, game, family, love”, author: 2081671, licence Pixabay Content License; cropped or resized.
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