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HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is sending May deadline letters to UK households with teenagers to extend their Child Benefit claim or payments will automatically stop.

Child Benefit can be claimed by parents or guardians who are responsible for raising a child under the age of 16, or under 20 if they stay in approved education or training. But payments will automatically stop on August 31 on or after a child's 16th birthday unless parents confirm their teenager's plans by this deadline. Parents of 16 to 19-year-olds must extend their Child Benefit claim by August 31 if their teenager is staying in certain types of education or training after completing their GCSEs or National 5s.

HMRC has confirmed around 1.5 million reminder letters are being sent out to households from late April, with these deadline letters due to arrive on doorstops from May 8.

Parents only need to act if their teenager is starting a new course or qualifying training in September. Those already partway through a course previously notified to HMRC don't need to do anything.

Claimants who already know their teenager's plans don't need to wait for their letter to arrive as they can act today and extend their claim using the HMRC digital service for extending, which opened on April 1.

Claim extensions can be made on the HMRC app or online at GOV.UK. The letters also include a QR code linking directly to the digital service.

Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC's Chief Customer Officer, said: "Child Benefit is a real financial boost for families, so if your teenager already knows they're staying in education or training after their GCSEs or National 5s, you don't need to wait for our letter. You can extend your Child Benefit claim today in minutes via the HMRC app or online at GOV.UK."

Following a 1.7% uplift on April 6, Child Benefit is now worth £27.05 per week (up from £26.05) for the eldest or only child and £17.90 per week (up from £17.25) for each additional child. This represents an annual increase of £52 and £33.80 respectively.

Under the new April rates, parents with one child can get £1,406.60 per year, while those with two children can get an additional £930.80, giving them £2,337.40 in total annually. But there's no limit - other than the Benefit Cap - which means if you have three or four children, you could get even more.

Child Benefit can continue for teenagers studying full time in non-advanced education, or on unpaid approved training courses, and according to HMRC, 874,000 parents extended theirChild Benefit claim last year, with more than half doing so online or through the HMRC app.

With the new higher rates now in place, it's a cash boost well worth having so parents are urged not to miss the August deadline or they will miss out on at least £1,460.60 per year.

Failure to extend claims by August 31, either online via the HMRC website or through the HMRC app, will mean payments will automatically stop on this date.

In cases where a Child Benefit claimant or their partner has an individual income of between £60,000 and £80,000, the higher earner may be liable for the High Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC).

Claimants can use the online Child Benefit tax calculator for an estimate and can pay the charge through their PAYE tax code using the HICBC digital service, or through Self Assessment.