Child Benefit and a TV licence: 2 urgent things you might need to do today

Household money

Updated on 01 September 2016 | 4 Comments

If you watch BBC iPlayer and have kids that aren’t working, you might need to take action today to avoid missing out on thousands or landing a huge fine.

How’s your ‘to do’ list looking today?

Well if you’ve got teenage kids or watch BBC iPlayer we’ve got two more things you might want to add to it to avoid losing out on thousands or landing a hefty fine.

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Let HMRC know your kid’s post-GCSE plans

HMRC is urging families to let it know what their children are doing post GCSEs to ensure they don’t miss out on benefits worth thousands of pounds a year.

When a 16-year-old finishes their final year of school, the taxman assumes they will go on to get a job, which means an end to Child Tax Credits and Child Benefit payments.

In order to prevent this from happening, parents must get in touch with HMRC to let it know what their child’s plans are.

To carry on getting the benefits, teenagers (aged between 16-19) must go into further study with A-Levels, undertake vocational qualifications or take part in a Government-approved training courses.

It’s also a good idea to let HMRC know if your child is getting a job or entered further education or training but left at a later date as this will avoid any overpayments.

You can let HMRC know what’s happening by updating your personal digital tax account or calling 0300 200 310.

If you don’t have a digital tax account, you can set one up. You just need your National Insurance number, a recent payslip/P60 or passport and a mobile phone to receive a security code.

The deadline to inform HMRC about any changes is midnight tonight (31 August). If you miss it and your child is going into further education or training you will miss out on vital payments.

HMRC says you could be given a penalty for failing to report a change or even prosecuted for benefit fraud if you are found to have deliberately claimed money you weren’t entitled to.

Get a TV licence as iPlayer loophole closes

From 1 September you’ll need a TV licence if you want to watch catch-up services on BBC iPlayer.

At the moment you need a TV licence, which costs £145.50 a year, if you watch or record live television or watch live television on iPlayer.

But from tomorrow, you’ll need one for viewing and downloading catch-up TV on BBC iPlayer or face a £1,000 fine.

The closure of the iPlayer loophole is estimated to impact 500,000 people using the service without a TV licence.

In March, former Culture Secretary John Whittingdale said: "When the licence fee was invented, video on demand did not exist.

"The BBC works on the basis that all who watch it pay for it.

"Giving a free ride to those who enjoy Sherlock or Bake Off an hour, a day or a week after they are broadcast was never intended and is wrong."

You’ll need a TV licence even if you don’t own a TV and watch the shows on devices like computers, laptops, tablets or mobiles.

However, you still won’t need a licence if you watch other ‘on demand’ or ‘catch up’ services like Netflix and ITV Player.

There has been some talk that the BBC could spy on your home internet to enforce the new rules, but TV Licensing has denied this, though it warns it has other ways of detecting homes watching shows illegally.

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