In this section:
- How to claim Child Benefit
- Child Benefit claim form
- Help with the Child Benefit claim form
- Child Benefit and birth and adoption certificates
- Finding your Child Benefit number or proving you qualify
- How claiming Child Benefit can protect your State Pension
- More than one claim for Child Benefit for the same child
- Getting Child Benefit on behalf of someone else
Child Benefit and birth and adoption certificates
When you send us your claim for Child Benefit you also need to send your child's original birth or adoption certificate. If you don't send us the original, this may delay your first payment.
Why you need to send in the certificate
We need the birth or adoption certificate so we can confirm who you're claiming for. We can then pay your Child Benefit.
What you need to send with your claim form
You should send us the original of either:
- your child's birth certificate
- the birth certificate you get after adoption
- your child's adoption certificate
You can send us either the short or long birth certificate. For example, if you've sent the long certificate to apply for a passport you can send us the short one.
Can you send in photocopies or scanned certificates via email?
You can't send in documents by email. We can only accept the original documents.
When you don't need to send in the certificate
If we paid Child Benefit for your child in the past you don't need to send us the birth or adoption certificate - unless you've newly adopted a child.
Contact us if you don't know if we have paid Child Benefit for your child before.
If you don't have your child's birth or adoption certificate
If you don't have the certificate you should still send in your claim form straight away. We can usually only backdate Child Benefit for three months after we get your form. So you may lose out on payments if you delay. You should send us the certificate as soon as you get it.
If you've lost the certificate, you can apply for another one from the General Register Office. We'll remind you if you forget to send it to us.
Apply for a certificate for a child in England and Wales on the General Register Office website
If you're adopting a child
If you're adopting a child, you may have problems getting your child's adoption certificate. If so, contact us and we may be able to help you. You'll need to let us know:
- the official adoption date
- the address of the District Registrar's Office
Sending the certificates in the post
You can send your certificate by normal post. You don't need to use recorded or registered delivery.
We'll send your certificate back to you the same way that you used. For example if you sent it using registered delivery, we'll return it using registered delivery.
Where to send the certificate
You should send the certificate to:
Child Benefit Office (Washington)
Freepost
NEA 10463
PO Box 133
Washington
NE38 7BR
When you'll get the certificates back
We'll send back your certificate within four weeks. If you don't receive it by then, you should contact us:
- by phone
- by writing to us
- online
Contacting the Child Benefit Office
If you need to contact us about birth or adoption certificates you can use our online enquiry service using the link below. Or if you need to speak to someone, you can call the Child Benefit Helpline on Tel 0845 302 1444 or textphone Tel 0845 302 1474. The Helpline is open between 8.00 am and 8.00 pm, seven days a week, except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.
If your preferred language is Welsh you can call on Tel 0845 302 1489, and if you're calling from outside the UK Tel + 44 161 210 3086.
You can also write to us at:
Child Benefit Office
PO Box 1
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE88 1AA
Send us your query online about Child Benefit and birth or adoption certificates
