Care homes and benefits - Benefits for your child when they live in a care home

If your child usually lives with you but moves to live in a care home or residential school, any Child Benefit, Child Tax Credit, Child Element of Universal Credit, Child Disability Payment and Disability Living Allowance you get for them could stop or be reduced. The rules are very complicated, so get advice if this applies to you.

You should tell the agency that pays your benefit if your child moves to live in a care home or school so that they can make any changes to your benefit to avoid paying you too much.

Reviewed: May 2022