Working Families’ Response to Child Benefit payments stopped because of going on holiday
Published: 4 Nov 2025
We’re aware of reports that as part of HMRC’s crackdown on fraud, parents are having their Child Benefit payments stopped after going on holiday. Our understanding is that this was due to HMRC receiving incomplete data from the Home Office and they have already reinstated payments to some families that have been affected by this. HMRC have also said that they have now suspended the practice of stopping payments until they have checked details with affected parents.
We understand that it may be an extremely worrying time if your Child Benefit suddenly stops for any reason but that this is likely to be even more distressing if it’s because you’ve been accused of fraud after going on holiday. Please rest assured that there is a process you can follow to get your payments reinstated if this happens to you.
The process is the same for most benefits, except for statutory payments which are dealt with by HMRC Statutory Payment Dispute Team.
If your benefit payments stop, you should get a letter (if you’re claiming Universal Credit this may be uploaded to your online account rather than posted out) explaining the date your benefit is stopping and the reason why. If the letter doesn’t explain why your benefit is stopping, you can contact the department paying your benefit (this will either be DWP or HMRC) to ask for a ‘statement of reasons’. Check the letter for contact details of who to phone or write to.
If you disagree with the decision to stop your benefit, you can ask the benefit department to look at the decision again by asking for a ‘mandatory reconsideration’. You should explain why you disagree with the decision and provide evidence to show why you think you’re entitled. This must usually be done within one month of the date of the decision to stop your benefit, but, if you have a good reason for not being able to ask in time, you can submit a late mandatory reconsideration request.
You can ask for a mandatory reconsideration by phone or in writing (or if you’re claiming Universal Credit, through your online account). There is some step by step guidance on asking for a mandatory reconsideration on the government website.
After receiving your mandatory reconsideration request, the benefit department will look at the decision again to decide whether you are entitled to the benefit. There is no set time for how long a mandatory reconsideration decision will take, so you may be waiting a few weeks before you hear anything. You will receive a ‘mandatory reconsideration notice’ letter with a new decision telling you whether your benefit has been reinstated or not and why. If the new decision tells you that you are entitled to the benefit, any payments you are owed will be backdated to the original date your benefit was stopped.
If the decision remains unchanged, you can appeal to an independent tribunal. You should appeal within a month of the mandatory reconsideration decision but may be able to lodge a late appeal if you can show that you had a good reason why you could not appeal in time. You need to include a copy of the mandatory reconsideration notice with the appeal and you should explain your reasons and provide evidence of why you think you are entitled to the benefit in your appeal. Appeals are made in writing by completing an SSCS form which you submit online.
Guidance on appealing a benefit decision is available on the government website.
In a nutshell
What to do if your benefit payments are stopped:
- Check if the letter tells you why your payments are stopping, if not contact the benefit department to ask for a ‘statement of reasons’.
- Ask the benefit department to look at the decision again by submitting a ‘mandatory reconsideration’ within one month of the decision (you may be able submit a late mandatory reconsideration request if you have a good reason for why it’s late).
- If the decision remains unchanged, lodge an appeal to an independent tribunal within one month of the mandatory reconsideration decision (you may be able lodge a late appeal if you have a good reason for why it’s late).
In your mandatory reconsideration and appeal, explain the reasons and provide evidence to show why you think you are entitled to the benefit. In cases where Child Benefit is stopped because you went on holiday, evidence may include holiday booking information, passport stamps, evidence of activities you or your child have done since returning from holiday such as attendance at work/school, attending medical appointments etc. Gather as much evidence as you can and submit copies, retaining the originals for yourself.
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