HMRC froze 23,000 families’ child benefit over incomplete travel data
HMRC freezes mum’s child benefit after she took one-day trip abroad
- Tens of thousands of parents had their child benefit payments halted by HMRC after travelling outside the UK, even for short periods.
- An investigation by The Guardian revealed 23,489 claimants received letters questioning their residency, with some trips lasting only a few days.
- Current rules typically allow child benefit claimants to be abroad for up to eight weeks, or 12 weeks in exceptional circumstances, before payments are stopped.
- HMRC apologised to affected families, admitting that a small percentage of suspensions were incorrect and stating they are urgently reviewing and amending their process.
- One mother, Cerys, had her child benefit frozen after a one-day trip to the Netherlands, and is now required to provide extensive documentation to prove her return.