Parents getting pay rises urged to check if they need to ‘pay back’ HMRC

Parents getting pay rises urged to check if they need to ‘pay back’ HMRCHMRC issued an alert to parents urging them to check their entitlementCommentsMoneySamantha Leathers Senior Money & Lifestyle writer13:59, 20 Apr 2026View 3 ImagesParents who have had a pay rise may face the High Income Child Benefit Charge(Image: GETTY)Parents who have received pay increases recently have been urged to check if they are now over the threshold for the High Income Child Benefit Charge. This could mean they need to pay back HMRC, although how much they owe will depend on how much they earn.‌The Department shared an alert on X, urging parents to check if they need to pay back some of the benefit and how to do so. The higher your earnings are above the threshold, the more of the benefit you will need to pay back to the Government.‌If you or your partner earns more than £60,000 a year, you’ll need to pay back a relative portion of your Child Benefit payments. However, once you or your partner’s income reaches £80,000 or more, you’ll have to pay all of it back‌View 3 ImagesEarning more could mean parents have to pay some or all of their Child Benefit back to HMRC(Image: GETTY)It’s worth noting that this is for individual income, not your combined income in the household. If both you and your partner’s income is over the threshold, then whoever has the higher income is responsible for paying the charge.If your income is over the threshold you have one of two options; you can continue your Child Benefit claim and pay the tax charge either through PAYE or a Self Assessment tax return. The method you use may depend on your other financial circumstances, such as if you are self-employed, you’ll need to use the Self Assessment method.‌Content cannot be displayed without consentOr you can choose to opt out of receiving Child Benefit payments. However, this does not mean your claim is outright cancelled, as the benefit also provides other things like national insurance credits, which will...