Child Benefit for armed forces families posted overseas now claimed by phone
New HMRC guidance sets out a separate route for serving personnel and their partners whose child's birth was registered abroad. The claim starts with a call, and a birth certificate or passport follows by post within 12 weeks.
Serving members of the armed forces based overseas, and their partners, now have their own way of claiming Child Benefit when their child's birth was registered abroad. HM Revenue and Customs published the guidance on Monday. The claim is started with a call to the Child Benefit helpline.
The route is open only where three conditions are all met: the claimant is serving, or is the partner of someone who is serving; the family is based overseas; and the birth was registered outside the UK. HMRC suggests checking how Child Benefit works before claiming.
Before calling
HMRC asks callers to have to hand:
- the current address where updates will be sent, which can be a British Forces Post Office (BFPO) address
- their own National Insurance number, if they have one, and their partner's
- the child's name, gender and date of birth
- bank or building society details, if they are opting in to receive payments
The helpline is 0300 200 3100, or +44 161 210 3086 from outside the UK, open from 8am to 6pm on weekdays and closed on bank holidays. It uses speech recognition and may ask security questions, so HMRC advises bringing personal details in the online personal tax account up to date first. People who cannot phone can use the other ways of claiming listed on GOV.UK, but may then be asked to post the child's original birth certificate and passport.
Documents after the call
HMRC needs one document within 12 weeks of the claim, and documents issued outside the UK are accepted:
- the child's original passport
- the child's original birth certificate, or a certified copy, sometimes called an extract
- a verified photocopy of the birth certificate or passport
A photocopy can be verified by a Unit Welfare Officer or an equivalent welfare post, or by an officer at least one rank higher in the chain of command. That person signs and dates the copy and adds their name, rank and contact phone number, without covering any of the information on the document.
The copy goes in the post with a covering letter that includes the word POSAW, which HMRC says routes the claim to the right team and avoids delay, along with the claimant's National Insurance number and confirmation that the copy was signed by someone allowed to verify it. The address is HM Revenue and Customs, Child Benefit Office, BX9 1GT, United Kingdom. HMRC checks the document and posts it back to the address it holds, so anyone who moves should tell HMRC.
