HMRC to review UK child benefit stops after data error

If you took a short trip abroad and then found your Child Benefit stopped, you’re not alone. HMRC says it is reviewing about 23,500 suspensions after a new travel-data check flagged families as if they had moved overseas. The Treasury Committee has asked for answers, and HMRC has apologised and urged anyone affected to get in touch.

Let’s put the rule in plain English. You can usually keep getting Child Benefit if you’re abroad for up to eight weeks for holidays or work trips. In specific situations, like medical treatment or a family bereavement, this can extend to twelve weeks. If you expect to be away longer, you must tell the Child Benefit Office because entitlement typically ends after those limits.

What went wrong was the data match. The government started comparing HMRC records with Home Office travel data to spot when people had left the UK. Departures were recorded, but in too many cases returns were not, so the system treated a weekend away like a one‑way journey. This risk is higher inside the Common Travel Area, where there are no routine immigration controls on the land border.

Northern Ireland shows how this happens. Some families flew out from Belfast, returned via Dublin, then drove home. Because there are no routine checks at that border, the UK has no automatic record of the return - so on paper, you never came back. That gap in the data triggered stops for people who were, in fact, living in the UK.

HMRC says it is re-checking all cases against PAYE employment records and will reinstate and backdate payments where UK employment is found. It aims to finish the review by the end of next week. The department has also said it will contact claimants before suspending payments, and reports indicate it will stop relying on Dublin Airport data for these checks.

Scale matters for media literacy. HMRC says the issue touched fewer than 0.5% of the UK’s 6.9 million Child Benefit claimants - a small percentage, but the impact on each family can be huge. The wider anti-fraud drive, launched in late August, was billed as saving £350m over five years. Both things can be true at once.

Start by checking your own timeline. If you were away for less than eight weeks, you should normally remain entitled. If your trip was for medical treatment or followed a bereavement, up to twelve weeks are allowed. The Common Travel Area does not change these time limits - it only affects how journeys are recorded - so quote your dates clearly.

Build a simple evidence bundle that shows you were here: booking confirmations or boarding passes, ferry tickets, card transactions in UK shops, school attendance messages, GP or dentist appointments, utility bills, and payslips. HMRC says it will cross‑check employment data while reviewing cases, so anything confirming UK work will help them put things right faster.

If you receive a letter saying your Child Benefit has been stopped, reply within the deadline on the letter. Ask HMRC to look again, explain your trip dates and route, and include your evidence. If the decision stands, ask for a mandatory reconsideration. If that still doesn’t fix it, you can appeal to an independent tribunal using form SSCS5 in Great Britain, or NOA1 in Northern Ireland. The time limit is usually one month from the date on your reconsideration notice, with up to 13 months allowed in special cases.

If your journey involved Dublin or another Common Travel Area route, say so plainly. There are no routine immigration controls on those routes, so a missing entry stamp is normal. Add receipts or bookings that show your return, and note that HMRC has said it will not rely on Dublin Airport data for suspensions going forward.

A quick teaching note for classrooms and families: data-matching needs context. Travel records can show movement, but they don’t prove residency on their own, and they sometimes miss returns. That’s why parliamentary scrutiny has pressed HMRC to check employment data and contact families first before switching off support.

What this means for you is straightforward. Don’t ignore a stop letter, and don’t panic. If your trip was a holiday or short visit, you should be able to show you still live here. HMRC says it will reinstate and backdate genuine cases after its review. Keep copies of everything, write a calm explanation, and ask a local advice service or Citizens Advice for help if you need it.