Closed petition Split Child Benefit equally between parents equally sharing care

Closed on 30 May 2024

I think that the Child Benefit payment system is outdated. We are calling for the Government to update the Child Benefit rules so that this payment is split equally between parents who share the day-to-day care of one or more children.

As it stands, if there is equal day-to-day care for two or more children, each parent can receive Child Benefit in respect of at least one child. However, if there is only one qualifying child, only one parent can claim Child Benefit. Child Benefit also can't be split equally if there are an odd number of children. I think this is extremely outdated and does not reflect a common approach to parenting, where parents share the day-to-day care of a child equally.