- Are you affected by the delay? Email arthur.parashar@mailonline.co.uk
Furious parents say they are unable to put food on the table after a glitch at HMRC meant some child benefit payments did not arrive as scheduled on Monday.
HMRC has apologized after around 30 per cent of child benefit payments scheduled for June 3 have not arrived in the backlogged accounts of claimants – the equivalent of around 500,000 parents.
The tax office said they will have to wait until Wednesday for the money to reach their accounts.
Child benefit is usually paid every four weeks on a Monday or Tuesday. The supplement is generally £25.60 for an older or only child and £16.95 per child for additional children.
‘Disgusted’ parents accused HMRC of ‘leaving families with nothing’, while others said they were hit with bank charges because they went into overdraft.
Crystal Kelly, who desperately needed Monday’s payment to buy groceries and other essentials for her three-year-old son, told MailOnline: ‘This situation is a joke, I need that money.
I can’t borrow anything to help me and that money helps me every Monday.
She said HMRC had not handled the situation well, adding: ‘I have to wait until tomorrow badly to get it. [the money] which is not fair to a single parent like me.’
Ms Kelly said it makes a ‘huge difference’ to wait until Wednesday.
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After HMRC apologized and said they were “working urgently to resolve the matter”, parents reacted angrily on social media.
Natalie Pratt said she was dreading waiting until Wednesday for the money, writing: ‘We had baked beans for dinner (no complaints it was very good) but what should I do for the kids packed lunch tomorrow? Really infuriating and extremely stressful.’
Ashleigh Jade Kutryk said it was ‘totally unacceptable’, adding: ‘This was a mistake on your part so you need to make payments faster because now vulnerable families have to fight another day.
“Don’t you think today has been stressful enough for all of us? I like how all tomorrow’s payments are released as normal, but we have to play the war game and wait. It’s not on!’
A third mother, Chantelle Whitehead, wrote: “This is shocking, how can you leave families with nothing?”
And another, Sinead-Cassidy Phelan, said: ‘Absolute joke! I was relying on her today to get what my son needs! Hardly anything in the cupboard for it, you are waiting for me as well as everyone else who relied on it today to wait until Wednesday!
‘Absolutely smoked!’
Nick Cough added: ‘People’s child benefits still haven’t kicked in, it’s disgusting.’
Jane Fairclough Greenwood wrote: ‘Not good enough HMRC. No one has to apply – you know who you haven’t paid – so just send them a late loan and then pay any losses an individual has incurred on top.
“This could have caused people to go over their overdraft arrangements, leaving them in a difficult position with their bank. This is despicable behavior again.
As of August 2023, 6.91 million families were receiving child benefit payments.
People may be entitled to child benefit if they are responsible for a child under 16 and live in the UK.
The payment problem was caused by a processing error.
An HMRC spokesman said: ‘We regret that some customers’ child benefit payments have not arrived as planned and we are working urgently to resolve the issue.
“Issues that caused payment problems today will not affect payments scheduled for tomorrow.”
HMRC also posted a statement on X, formerly Twitter, which said: “We regret that some Child Benefit customers’ payments have not arrived as planned and we are working urgently to resolve the issue.
“There is no need for customers to call us and we will provide updates here as soon as they are available.”