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You could get Guardian’s Allowance if you’re bringing up a child whose parents have died. You may also be eligible if there’s one surviving parent.

The Guardian’s Allowance rate is £22.10 a week. You get it on top of Child Benefit and it’s tax-free.

You must tell the Guardian’s Allowance Unit about certain changes to your circumstances.

The Guardian Allowance rate is:

• £22.10 a week per child
• tax-free
• paid on top of your Child Benefit payments

How the money is paid

Usually, the money is paid into a bank account every 4 weeks. It can be paid weekly if you’re a single parent or getting certain other benefits, such as Income Support.

You can get the money paid into any account, apart from a Nationwide Building Society account in someone else’s name.

Effect on other benefits

Guardian’s Allowance does not count as income if you’re claiming tax credits, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or income-related Employment and Support Allowance.

Guardian’s Allowance is not affected by the High Income Child Benefit charge. If you decide not to be paid Child Benefit your Guardian’s Allowance can continue.

Guardian’s Allowance does not count towards the benefit cap.

To get Guardian’s Allowance all of the following must apply:

• you’re bringing up someone else’s child
• the child’s 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’s Allowance as long as you were getting it before you adopted the child.

If there is one surviving parent

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

• you do not know where the surviving parent is and you’ve 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

To avoid losing money, claim Guardian’s Allowance as soon as the child comes to live with you.

1. Fill in the claim form (BG1).

2. Send it to the Guardian’s Allowance Unit with the child’s full birth certificate and the parents’ death certificates (or certificate if one parent has died) - send originals.

You should also claim Child Benefit as soon as possible.

You can also call the Guardian’s Allowance Unit and ask for a claim pack.

If you disagree with a decision

You can challenge a decision about your claim. This is called asking for mandatory reconsideration.

If your circumstances change, your entitlement to Guardian’s Allowance could be affected or your payments could stop.

You must report the following changes straight away:

• the child goes to live with someone else
• you go abroad, either temporarily (for more than 8 weeks) or permanently (for more than 1 year)
• the child leaves full-time education or approved training
• your bank or contact details change
• you find out where the surviving parent is
• the surviving parent comes out of hospital or prison (or has their sentence shortened)
• the surviving parent makes a payment towards their child’s upkeep

You can report these changes by phone or post.