Child Benefit calculator
Child Benefit itself is simple. What families actually need calculated is the High Income Child Benefit Charge: once the higher earner's adjusted net income passes £60,000, 1% of the benefit is clawed back for every £200 above, until it is gone at £80,000. This tool shows the benefit, the charge, and the hidden marginal tax rate the clawback creates.
Calculator
Child Benefit calculator
Child Benefit for 2 children: £2,337.40 a year
You keep £2,337.40
No charge, the higher earner is at or below £60,000.
Rates: £27.05/week for the eldest, £17.90 for each other child. Even at full clawback it is usually worth claiming and opting out of payment, the claim protects the stay-at-home parent's State Pension credits.
The details that cost families money
- It tests one income, not the household's. Two parents on £59,000 each keep every penny; one on £81,000 with a non-earning partner loses it all, a long-criticised quirk that survives every Budget.
- The test is adjusted net income, not salary, pension contributions and Gift Aid reduce it, so a salary sacrifice can legitimately rebuild the benefit. Check yours on the ANI calculator.
- Claim even if you'd repay 100%. Tick “claim without payment” instead of not claiming: the claim itself earns National Insurance credits towards the stay-at-home parent's State Pension and registers the child for an NI number at 16.
- The charge is collected via self-assessment or PAYE: many families only discover it with a backdated bill. If income crossed £60,000 this year, tell HMRC now.
The marginal rate the charge really creates
Between £60,000 and £80,000 the whole of your Child Benefit is clawed back across a £20,000 band. That is on top of 40% income tax and 2% National Insurance, so the effective rate depends on how many children you have:
| Children | Benefit a year | Effective marginal rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | £1,406.60 | 49.0% |
| 2 | £2,337.40 | 53.7% |
| 3 | £3,268.20 | 58.3% |
A parent of three inside that band keeps under 42p of each extra pound. A pension contribution reduces the adjusted net income the charge is measured against, which is why it is worth unusually much here. Keep claiming even if you opt out of payments: the claim is what protects your National Insurance record and your child's National Insurance number.
Rate tables checked 28 August 2026 by Hadi against gov.uk/child-benefit-rates.
How to use the Child Benefit calculator
- 1
Enter the number of children you claim for.
- 2
Enter the higher earner's adjusted net income, which is what the charge is measured against.
- 3
Read the High Income Child Benefit Charge, tapered between £60,000 and £80,000.
- 4
See what a pension contribution would do to the charge.
When should you use the Child Benefit calculator?
Use it if you claim Child Benefit and the higher earner is over £60,000, where the charge starts to claw the payment back.
You earn between £60,000 and £80,000
The charge claws back 1% of the benefit for every £200 above £60,000.
One of you earns over £80,000
The charge cancels the benefit entirely, but claiming still protects State Pension credits.
You are deciding whether to claim
Claiming without payment keeps the National Insurance credits and the child's number.
You are near the threshold
A pension contribution that lowers adjusted net income lowers the charge with it.
Where to go next
- Adjusted net income calculatorTo work out the figure the charge uses.Open
- Salary sacrifice calculatorTo reduce the income the charge is based on.Open
- Household income calculatorTo see both incomes together.Open
All 51 calculators share one tested engine, so a figure from the child benefit calculator agrees with every other page here. See the full calculator index or the pay and tax guides.