HMRC to stop making payments of Child Benefit and Guardian's Allowance into Post Office card accounts

On December 1st, 2021, customers of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) using Post Office card accounts will not receive scheduled payments of Child Benefit, Guardian Allowance or tax credit.

Anyone affected by this change has until November 30th to set up a new bank account, building society account or credit union account. In this time, customers also need to update their details on HMRC’s website and inform them of the change.

If you are a Post Office card account holder, are affected by this change and fail to provide new details by November 30th, you will not receive your scheduled payments as you normally would. Instead, the payment will be suspended. From then, you will receive it once your details have been sufficiently revised and HMRC have been notified of it.

Additionally, customers can also use their Personal Tax Account when updating their details.

If customers already have another non-Post Office bank account, they may use this instead, so long as their details are updated in time. If they do not have an alternative bank account, nor do they have the ability to set up a new one, they’re encouraged to contact HMRC as quickly as possible.

If you need to open an new account, but would like some guidance on how to do it, you can contact the Money Advice and Pensions Service or visit their website. They can also help you choose the bank that suits your needs.

HMRC announced that they would stop making payments into Post Office accounts back in October of 2019 and have been writing to their customers to inform them of the alteration ever since.

In September, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) gave their users who hold Post Office bank accounts a 12-month extension to update their account details. As such, this is only relevant to DWP-related payments, such as pensions and Universal Credit.

Customers expecting Child Benefit payments can alternatively change their details on GOV.UK, or by ringing the Child Benefit helpline (03002003100) to speak to an advisor who will help you out.