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Child Benefit

Asked by Mr Andrew SnowdenConservativeTreasuryTabled Answered 26 January 2026UIN 107204

The question

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what proportion of families, who had their child benefit reinstated following the review into those who were suspended during the period of data-sharing between HMRC and the Home Office, were found to be eligible as a result of PAYE checks.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson

As HMRC informed the Treasury Select Committee in its letter dated 14 November 2025, it is unable to completely disaggregate the number of cases where eligibility was confirmed via a subsequent PAYE check from those where evidence was provided by the customer.

The information from the pilot remains HMRC’s best assessment of the effectiveness of the activity using international travel data to reduce error and fraud.

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