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Call to raise child benefit by £10 a week to help families during coronavirus pandemic

More than 60 family and children’s charities, advice organisations, academics, unions and faith leaders have written to the Chancellor calling for a £10 per child weekly uplift in child benefit to help families during the Covid-19 crisis.
The charities are calling for emergency support while schools are closed and families stay at home
The charities are calling for emergency support while schools are closed and families stay at home

While they welcome the steps taken so far to support household incomes during the pandemic, they say that families need more help with meeting children’s needs and unexpected costs while schools are closed. 

The letter calls for ‘swift action to strengthen the finances of families and to shield children from additional hardship [which] is critical in such exceptionally difficult times.’

Yesterday’s uprating of child benefit added 35p to its value for an eldest or only child (taking it to £21.05 per week) and 23p (taking it to £13.93 per week) for additional children.

Meanwhile, parents of newborns will still be able to claim child benefit, despite the outbreak of coronavirus, HMRC has announced (see below).

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