Spring Budget 24: Child benefit charge threshold raised to £60,000

Measure to address 'unfair' system welcomed by industry commentators

Jenna Brown
clock • 7 min read

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has used his Spring Budget to increase the high-income child benefit charge (HICBC) threshold from £50,000 to £60,000.

At present, parents earning more than £50,000 have to pay back child benefit under the HICBC. The system has been labelled unfair as a situation could arise where two parents earning £49,000 a year would be entitled to full child benefit but a couple with one higher earner would be penalised. Hunt said from April 2026 the system would change with the HICBC being assessed on a household basis. He added that "immediate support for working families" would be given by increasing the threshold to £60,000 and halving the rate at which child benefit is repaid. The government said this repres...

To continue reading this article...

Join Professional Adviser for free

  • Unlimited access to real-time news, industry insights and market intelligence
  • Stay ahead of the curve with spotlights on emerging trends and technologies
  • Receive breaking news stories straight to your inbox in the daily newsletters
  • Make smart business decisions with the latest developments in regulation, investing retirement and protection
  • Members-only access to the editor’s weekly Friday commentary
  • Be the first to hear about our events and awards programmes

Join

 

Already a Professional Adviser member?

Login

More on Tax planning

Pension IHT reform will change more than estate planning

Pension IHT reform will change more than estate planning

Rethinking the ‘pension last’ approach

Hugi Clarke
clock 06 November 2026 • 4 min read
Budget 26: Income tax threshold freeze remains until April 2031

Budget 26: Income tax threshold freeze remains until April 2031

No changes on last year’s Budget

Isabel Baxter
clock 28 October 2026 • 2 min read
IHT on pensions gets technical changes ahead of 2027 start

IHT on pensions gets technical changes ahead of 2027 start

Rules on liabilities linked to trusts also tightened

Jen Frost
clock 28 October 2026 • 6 min read