Petition · past parliament · Department for Education

Split Child Benefit equally between parents equally sharing care

Closed 68 signatures

What the petition asks

I think that the Child Benefit payment system is outdated.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 I think this is extremely outdated and does not reflect a common approach to parenting, where parents share the day-to-day care of a child equally.

Timeline

17 Jan 2024 Petition opened for signatures
29 May 2024 Closed to new signatures

Key facts

Signatures 68
Status Closed
Department Department for Education
Opened 17 Jan 2024
Closed 29 May 2024

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.