How much Child Benefit do you actually keep?
If you or your partner earn over £60,000, some or all of your Child Benefit is clawed back through the High Income Child Benefit Charge. See exactly how much — and the pension contribution that makes the charge disappear. 2025/26 rates, free, no sign-up.
A guide, not tax advice. Uses 2025/26 figures (£60,000 threshold, full clawback at £80,000, Child Benefit £26.05/£17.25 a week). Your real charge depends on your exact adjusted net income — check with HMRC or an accountant. Nothing you type here leaves your browser.
A tax that quietly takes back your Child Benefit.
The High Income Child Benefit Charge applies when you or your partner has an adjusted net income above £60,000 (the threshold rose from £50,000 in April 2024). Only the higher earner's income counts — not the household total.
Between £60,000 and £80,000 the charge claws back 1% of your Child Benefit for every £200 of income over £60,000. So at £70,000 you lose half of it; at £80,000 or above, the charge equals the full amount and you keep none of it.
Adjusted net income is your total taxable income minus pension contributions (grossed up) and Gift Aid donations. That's the key: paying into a pension doesn't just save income tax, it lowers the figure the charge is measured against.
Because the charge sits on top of higher-rate tax, income in the £60,000–£80,000 band is taxed brutally hard — often an effective marginal rate well over 50%, and higher still with more children. A pension contribution that brings you back to £60,000 removes the charge entirely and keeps the full benefit.
You can still claim Child Benefit and pay the charge through Self Assessment, or opt out of payments but keep the claim registered (which protects your State Pension National Insurance credits). Never simply not claim — the NI credits matter.
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