Leaving School, College etcA child is treated as being in full-time education until they reach the age of 16 therefore they do not qualify for social security benefits.
The only exception to this is Disability Living Allowance which is paid in respect of a person who has care/mobility needs arising from a disability or illness. 16/17 year olds are not entitled to claim benefits as unemployed people as they are guaranteed a Jobskills place under the Department for Employment and Learning (DEL) Jobskills programme. There are however exceptions to this rule which depend on whether the claim is for: A child will not be eligible to receive any benefit until he is treated as having ceased full-time education.
If the child's parent or guardian is receiving Child Benefit this can continue until the relevant Child Benefit end date is reached. Depending on when the child left school, the Child Benefit end date will be: the second Monday in January; or
the second Monday after Easter; or
the second Monday in September.
If the child left school to go into work or a training course which subsequently ends before the end date Child Benefit can become payable again, this is because they can still be treated as being in full-time education up to and including the end date.
Parent of child age 16-17Child Benefit
The customer should write to Child Benefit Office advising them of the date the child left school and what they are currently doing e.g. Jobskills, full-time work, etc. If the child is waiting for work or Jobskills, Child Benefit, can be paid for up to 13 weeks after the Child Benefit end date as long as the child has registered for work or Jobskills at the Training & Employment Agency. The customer must also ask the Child Benefit Office for benefit to continue for this Child Benefit Extension Period.
Child Benefit may start again if the child returns to full-time education, or if work or a Jobskills course ends before the Child Benefit end date, or the end of the Child Benefit Extension Period, but only if the child registers at the Training and Employment Agency.
Other Benefits
A decision on whether a customer will continue to be paid an increase for a dependant child who has left school, etc. will normally depend on whether they are entitled to Child Benefit during the Child Benefit Extension Period. The customer should advise the paying office immediately of the date the child left school/college.
Failure to do so may result in an overpayment of benefit which they will be liable to repay.
Child Benefit
The customer should contact Child Benefit Office immediately to advise them of the date the child left school etc. and what they are doing now e.g. work, unemployed.
Failure to notify the Child Benefit Office promptly will make the customer liable for any resulting overpayment.
Where the child has started full time work the customer will be entitled to Child Benefit up until the Monday after they started work. Otherwise the customer will continue to receive Child Benefit until the Child Benefit end date after which the young person will be able to claim benefits in their own right.
Child Benefit will stop on one of the following Child Benefit end dates depending on when the child left school providing the child has not commenced work:
the second Monday in January; or
the second Monday after Easter; or
the second Monday in September.
Other Benefits
A decision on whether the customer will continue to be paid an increase for a dependant child who has left school etc. will normally depend on whether they continue to be entitled to Child Benefit.The customer should advise the paying office immediately of the date the child left school/college.
Failure to do so may result in an overpayment of benefit which the customer will be liable to repay.
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