Exact amount Child Benefit will rise by this April - see how much more you'll get

Child Benefit is paid to someone who is responsible for looking after someone under the age of 16, or sometimes under the age of 20 if they're in approved education or training

Child Benefit payments are set to rise by 1.7% from this April, in a boost for millions of families across the country.

Child Benefit is paid to someone who is responsible for looking after someone under the age of 16, or sometimes under the age of 20 if they're in approved education or training. It is currently worth £25.60 a week for your first child, then £16.95 a week for any additional child you may have.

But from this April, the rate for your first child will rise to £26.05 a week, while the rate for an additional child will go up to £17.25 a week. Child Benefit is paid every four weeks by HMRC. In order to claim Child Benefit, you need to live in the UK and the child normally needs to live with you, or you pay at least the same amount as Child Benefit towards looking after them.

There is no limit to the number of children you can claim Child Benefit for, but only one person can claim Child Benefit for each child. You can claim Child Benefit if you fostered a child, as long as the local council is not paying anything towards their accommodation or maintenance.

If your child is over the age of 16, but is still under 20, then you can only get Child Benefit if they're in approved education or training. The type of education or training that will mean you're able to keep claiming Child Benefit includes:

• A-Levels or similar, for example Pre-U, International Baccalaureate
• T-Levels
• Scottish Highers
• NVQs and other vocational qualifications up to Level 3
• Home education - if it started before your child turned 16 or after 16 if they have special needs
• Traineeships in England

Your child must be staying in approved education or training for 12 hours or more each week, and courses won't count if they're paid for by an employer. HMRC will send you a letter, asking you to confirm your situation - you must reply to this, otherwise your Child Benefit will stop.

If you're a high earner, you may have to pay back some of your Child Benefit. You get the full amount of Child Benefit if you, or your partner, earn less than £60,000 per year. But if one of you earns over £60,000, you have to pay some of the benefit back at a rate of 1% for every £200 you earn over £60,000.

This is known as the High Income Child Benefit Charge and is normally done through self-assessment. This figure is per person, rather than per household - for example, you could both earn £59,000 and still be eligible to keep all your Child Benefit. If you earn over £80,000, then you need to pay back all of your Child Benefit.