Eligibility

To get Guardian鈥檚 Allowance all of the following must apply:

  • you鈥檙e bringing up someone else鈥檚 child
  • the child鈥檚 parents are dead (see conditions for one surviving parent below)
  • you qualify for Child Benefit

One of the parents must also have been either:

  • born in the UK or a European Economic Area (EEA) country or Switzerland
  • living in the UK since the age of 16 for at least 52 weeks in any 2-year period

If you adopt a child you may still get Guardian鈥檚 Allowance as long as you were getting it before you adopted the child.

If there is one surviving parent

You could get Guardian鈥檚 Allowance if one of the following is true:

  • you do not know where the surviving parent is and you鈥檝e made a reasonable effort to contact them
  • the surviving parent will be in prison for at least 2 years from the date of death of the other parent
  • the surviving parent is in a hospital by court order

Use a benefits calculator to check the benefits you鈥檙e entitled to.