Do I Still Get Child Benefit If My Daughter Is On An Apprenticeship?

Depending on an individual’s circumstances, there are various outcomes to their eligibility for receiving Child Benefit after their child reaches a certain age. Through this blog post, we aim to explore whether parents will continue receiving Child Benefit if their child is on an apprenticeship. To have a broader perspective, we will also explore the benefits that apprentices can claim as well as the rights to that they are entitled to.

Do I Still Get Child Benefit If My Daughter Is On An Apprenticeship?

Yes, you can get Child Benefit if your daughter is on an apprenticeship only if she is eligible to be considered as a “qualifying your person”. This means that she must be able to fulfil the below criteria for you to continue receiving Child Benefit:

Aged between 16 and 19 years and either in full-time non-advanced education or approved training.
Aged either 16 or 17 years and registered for further education, work or training with a local authority support service, careers service, Connexions or similar organisation. She should not be in full-time non-advanced education or approved training.

Full-time non-advanced education includes the following educational courses in the UK:

GCSEs, A levels, iGCSEs, Pre-U and International Baccalaureate
NVQ level 1, 2 or 3
BTEC National Diploma, National Certificate and 1st Diploma
SVQ level 1, 2 or 3
Traineeships (in England only)
Scottish Group Awards
National 4 and 5 (in Scotland only)

To be considered in approved training, your daughter should not have an employment contract for her apprenticeship. Approved training should be unpaid and can include:

Foundation Apprenticeships or Traineeships in Wales
Employability Fund programmes in Scotland
PEACE IV Children and Young People 2.1, Training for Success, or Skills for Life and Work in Northern Ireland

However, under the following circumstances, you will not be able to claim Child Benefit for you daughter while she is on an apprenticeship:

Aged between 16 and 19 years and in advanced education
Aged 19 and undertaking full-time non-advanced education or approved training
Aged 20 years
Claiming state benefits including Income Support, income-based Jobseekers
Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance, tax credits or Universal Credit on their own

If your child intends to stay in approved education or training, you should inform the Child Benefit office by the time your child is 16 years old. For this purpose, you will need a Government Gateway user ID and password.

Is An Apprenticeship Full Time Education?

Yes, an apprenticeship counts as full-time education if you are able to work for at least 30 hours per week under the apprenticeship national minimum wage. If working hours are to be reduced due to the nature of execution of work and the individual’s circumstances, it can only be reduced to 16 hours to be counted as an apprenticeship.

In this case, the duration of the apprenticeship period must be extended. This means that a two-year apprenticeship that requires you to work for 16 hours per week, may need to be extended to a three-year duration to make up for missing essential hours.

According to UK law, you must be in full-time education until the age of 18 years. However, the government requires you to either work as an apprentice or spend at least 20 hours per week for volunteer work alongside training or studying.

If you are 16 years or older, living in England and not enrolled in full education, you can be an apprentice.

In addition to gaining work skills, as an apprentice, you will also be able to earn a wage, get holiday pay and get training specific to your area of work. Generally, apprenticeships take between 1 to 5 years for completion; depending on the nature and area of work.

Apprentices are entitled to paid holidays and working time regulations as full-time employees. However, under UK law, anyone under the age of 18 must not be asked to work for more than 8 hours per day or 40 hours per week.

How Much Do Apprentices Get Paid?

As per recent figures (April 2022), the national minimum wages in the UK are categorised on the basis of age as follows:

Age	NMW Rate
Apprentice	£4.81
Under 18	£4.81
18-20	£6.83
21-22	£9.18
23 and above	£9.80

Apprentices can claim the national minimum wage if they are at least 19 years of age or more than 19 years old and in the first year of their apprenticeship.

The earnings that apprentices are paid include payments for the normal working hours stated in their employment contract or apprenticeship agreement, any training that is essentially part of their apprenticeship and lasts a minimum of 20% of their normal working hours, as well as additional study time for English and Mathematics qualifications (if they are part of the work that you will perform during the apprenticeship).

Do Apprentices Have To Pay Tax?

Yes, apprentices pay taxes on their income in the same way as full-time employees. Incomes above the minimum cap are taxed at an incremental rate of 20 per cent to 45 per cent depending on whether an individual belongs to the basic, higher or additional tax rate band. Below are details of these bands:

0 per cent income tax when income is up to £12,570
20 per cent income tax when income is between £12,571 and £50,270
40 per cent income tax when income is between £50,271 and £150,000
45 per cent income tax when income is above £150,001

Do Apprentices Have To Pay National Insurance?

Yes, apprentices have to pay National Insurance if they earn more than £184 per week (applicable rates for 2021-222). As per UK law, individuals earning between £184 and £967 are charged at 12 per cent for their National Insurance Contributions (NIC) while those earning more than £967 per week will be charged an additional 2 per cent.

However, if you are an apprentice with earnings more than the lower earnings limit which amounts to £120 per week or £520 per month (applicable for 2021-22) and lesser than the primary threshold which amounts to £184 per week or £797 per month (applicable for 2021-22), your NIC record will be credited. This means that while you are not required to pay NIC, it will appear that you have made the contributions. NIC credits may help you in the long term to earn you contributory benefits or state pension.

Do Apprentices Have To Pay Council Tax?

Anyone under the age of 18 and under specific apprenticeship schemes becomes eligible for council tax exemption if they live alone. However, you will need to provide the following from your employer:

Your earnings will not be more than £195 per week
The training that you receive as part of the apprenticeship will lead to a qualification which is accredited by a body which is recognised by the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation or the Scottish Vocational Education Council,

However, if you share your home with family, as an apprentice, you will be considered as disregarded for council tax. You will still need to apply to your local council for an exemption or discount.

Can Apprentices Claim Working Tax Credits?

According to the HM Revenue and Customs, apprentices can claim working tax credits under the following conditions:

the apprentice can provide proof of employment such as a contract of employment
the apprentice is part of an apprenticeship scheme where the payments they receive are classed as earnings and not reimbursement of expenses (earnings are subject to income tax and National Insurance contributions while reimbursement of expenses is not)

However, if an apprentice’s earnings are classified as non-taxable training allowance or a tax-exempt discretionary allowance, their apprenticeship working hours will not be counted as remunerative work and they will not be able to claim tax credits.

In general, to be able to qualify for working tax credits, an individual should be able to fulfil the below criteria:

if they are 25 years of age, they should be in remunerative work for a minimum of 30 hours each week
if they are 16 years old, they should be working a minimum of 16 hours per week
if they are 60 years old, they should be and working a minimum of 16 hours per wee
anyone with a physical or mental disability due to which they are unable to get a job

Does An Apprentice Get Universal Credit?

According to the Department for Work and Pensions, apprentices can claim Universal Credit if they fulfil the below criteria:

they have a named training provider
they are working towards a recognised qualification or vocational training
they are entitled to the national minimum wage

While there are no upper or lower limits to the number of hours that an apprentice must work in order to claim Universal Credit; however, they must be working at least 30 hours per week.

Conclusion:

Through this detailed discussion, one may conclude that the eligibility for claiming Child Benefit for parents as their child enrols in an apprenticeship program varies greatly; depending on the varied circumstances that they may be in. However, as a general rule of thumb, we can say that as long as the child’s apprenticeship does not include an employment contract, the parent can continue receiving Child Benefit.

FAQs: Do I Still Get Child Benefit If My Daughter Is On An Apprenticeship?

Does a child working affect housing benefit?

If your child of 16 or 17 years of age starts working, their income will not affect the housing benefit claim that you receive. Once they are adults, their incomes may be taken into consideration for a means test and your claim will only be affected if your household income is above a certain threshold.

Can a 17-year-old claim PIP?

Yes, a 17-year-old can claim Personal Independence Payment if they are living in England, Scotland or Wales, have a long term disability, physical or mental condition, find it difficult to perform everyday tasks and expect these difficulties for a period of at least one year.

Can you get Universal Credit if you live with your parents?

Yes, you can get Universal Credit if you live with your parents. In fact, when someone is 16 years old, they start receiving their UC payments directly. However, if you live with your parents, you may find a reduced amount of the housing element in your benefits claim as you are sharing your house with other family members.

At what age can you get Universal Credit?

You can claim eligibility for Universal Credit at the age of 18 years. However, if you are 16 or 17 years old and fall under certain specific situations such as having limited capability for work,

a health condition or disability, you may still be able to claim Universal Credit.

At what age does Child Tax Credit stop?

Child Tax Credit is applicable to families with children younger than or of 17 years of age. Once a child turns 18 and becomes an adult, payments with regard to Child Tax Credit are automatically stopped by the DWP.