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Thousands to lose Child Benefit as DWP slashes bill by £350 million

The Department for Work and Pensions is removing Child Benefit from tens of thousands of people who have moved abroad, aiming to stop over £350 million in fraud and error.
Using data-matching under the Digital Economy Act, authorities checked 200,000 Child Benefit records after a pilot with 15 investigators stopped around £17 million in wrongful payments, prompting wider rollout.
The government is rapidly expanding the unit as part of the Plan for Change, adding over 200 investigators next month while HM Revenue & Customs reviews every case with human investigators and contacts families directly.
The government says the crackdown protects hardworking families and taxpayer money, with officials claiming over 200 investigators will deliver substantial savings of over £350 million.
Child Benefit supports over 6.9 million families and 11.9 million children, and claimants outside the UK for more than eight weeks must inform HM Revenue & Customs to avoid losing payments.

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