Autumn Budget 2026: what changed for parents, and what didn't

The short answer: The 28 October Budget kept the £60,000 Child Benefit charge and childcare help as they are. From April 2027, Child Benefit rises to £28.00 a week for your eldest child, and maternity pay goes up by 3.5%. From April 2029, eligible self-employed dads and partners will be able to get two weeks of parental pay.

The quick version

• Child Benefit goes up from 12 April 2027: £28.00 a week for the eldest child and £18.55 for each other child.

• Statutory Maternity Pay and the other statutory payments rise by 3.5% from April 2027. The exact weekly rates aren't out yet.

• Eligible self-employed fathers, partners and adopters in Great Britain get parental pay for the first time from April 2029.

• The High Income Child Benefit Charge still starts at £60,000, and there's nothing new on childcare.

• The cash ISA limit stays at £20,000, but tax on savings interest goes up for some people.

Last updated 29 October 2026.

Did the Budget change Child Benefit or the High Income Child Benefit Charge?

Child Benefit is going up, but the charge that claws it back from higher earners isn't changing.

The Treasury confirmed a 3.5% rise in Child Benefit from 12 April 2027. The rate for your eldest or only child goes from £27.05 to £28.00 a week. For each other child, it goes from £17.90 to £18.55. The new rates apply across the UK.

The High Income Child Benefit Charge stays the same. It starts when one parent's adjusted net income (taxable income before any Personal Allowance, less certain reliefs) goes over £60,000. You pay back 1% of your Child Benefit for every £200 over that, and all of it once you reach £80,000. If both of you are over £60,000, the higher earner pays.

The only Budget change is admin: HMRC will automatically offset Child Benefit overpayments against the charge, once the Finance Bill 2026-27 passes.

If you're weighing up whether to claim at all, our guide to Child Benefit when you earn over £60,000 walks through it.

Tax treatment depends on the individual circumstances of each client and may be subject to change in future.

Figures from HM Treasury and HMRC. The charge thresholds use adjusted net income.

Will maternity or paternity pay go up?

Yes, by 3.5% from April 2027, but the exact weekly rates haven't been published yet.

The Work and Pensions Secretary said Statutory Payments, including Statutory Maternity Pay, will rise by 3.5% in 2027/28. Most of the new rates start from 12 April 2027. The full list of rates will come "in due course", so we'll add the figures when it's out.

Here's what you get today:

• Statutory Maternity Pay: 90% of your average weekly earnings for 6 weeks, then £194.32 or 90% (whichever is lower) for 33 weeks.

• Statutory Paternity Pay: £194.32 a week or 90% of your average earnings, whichever is lower.

• Maternity Allowance if you're self-employed: between £27 and £194.32 a week, depending on how many Class 2 National Insurance contributions you've paid.

If you're self-employed and topping up Class 2 to get more Maternity Allowance, the voluntary rate is £3.65 a week now. It rises to £3.80 a week from April 2027.

Not sure which you'll get? Here's how SMP and Maternity Allowance differ.

Can self-employed dads and partners get paternity pay now?

Not yet. The new help starts in April 2029.

Today, self-employed fathers and partners are left out of parental pay. The Budget says that from April 2029, eligible self-employed fathers, partners and adopters in Great Britain will be able to get parental pay. The government expects it to help over 150,000 parents a year.

The Treasury describes it as two weeks of support, currently worth up to £194 a week. It will be called a Parental Allowance. It will also cover some employees who miss out on Statutory Paternity Pay today, such as people who recently started work or have an irregular work pattern, as long as they have enough work and earnings history.

Who qualifies and how you claim are still to come. A wider Parental Leave and Pay Review is due to finish in early 2027, so the rules could change before then. Until 2029, our guide to paternity leave and pay explains what fathers and partners can get now.

Is there any new help with childcare costs?

No. We found nothing in the Budget that changes funded hours or Tax-Free Childcare, so both carry on as they are.

• 30 hours of funded childcare is for working parents in England with a child aged 9 months to 4 years. You can apply from when your baby is 23 weeks old.

• Tax-Free Childcare adds £2 for every £8 you pay in, up to £2,000 a year per child.

Separately, if you're on Universal Credit, the standard allowance for a single person aged 25 or over goes up by about £219 a year.

Am I paying more tax even though rates haven't gone up?

You might be. The Budget kept its promise of no rise in the headline rates of income tax, National Insurance or VAT. But the thresholds are frozen, so a pay rise can still push you into a higher band.

The Personal Allowance stays at £12,570, and the higher rate threshold stays at £50,270 until 5 April 2031. The £60,000 Child Benefit charge line isn't changing either.

Example: a pay rise and the Child Benefit charge, worked through

These are made-up, round numbers. A parent with two children earns £58,000 in 2026/27, so they don't pay the charge. In 2027/28 they get a pay rise to £62,000.

1. At the new rates, their Child Benefit is £28.00 + £18.55 = £46.55 a week, or £2,420.60 over a full year.

2. They're £2,000 over £60,000. At 1% per £200, that's 10%.

3. The charge is 10% of £2,420.60, which is £242.06.

They keep most of their Child Benefit, but it shows how a line that doesn't move can catch you after a pay rise. Your adjusted net income is worked out after certain tax reliefs, such as Gift Aid and some pension payments, so your own figure may differ.

What does the Budget mean for my pension while I'm on leave?

Not much changes. The main pension limits for 2027/28 are the same as this year.

The annual allowance stays at £60,000 for 2027/28, and the Lump Sum Allowance stays at £268,275.

Capital at risk. The value of your pension can go down as well as up, and you may get back less than you pay in.

If you pay into a workplace pension through salary sacrifice, a change that was already announced still goes ahead. From April 2029, only the first £2,000 a year you sacrifice will be free of National Insurance. It will still be free of income tax, within the usual limits.

Leave can affect how much goes into your pension, depending on your pay and your employer's scheme. Our guide to your pension during maternity leave explains how.

What about family savings?

The cash ISA limit stays at £20,000, but tax on savings interest outside an ISA goes up for some people.

• The government has decided not to cut the cash ISA limit, so it stays at £20,000 a year. The Junior ISA limit stays at £9,000.

• From 6 April 2027, tax on savings income goes up to 24% for basic-rate, 44% for higher-rate and 49% for additional-rate taxpayers.

• The Personal Savings Allowance doesn't change: £1,000 of interest tax-free for basic-rate taxpayers and £500 for higher-rate taxpayers. The government says 84% of income tax payers won't be affected by the higher rates.

What can I check now?

Everyone's situation is different, so we can't say what's right for you. What we can do is point you to some free checks that might help.

1. Check you're claiming Child Benefit. Even if you'd pay the charge, claiming gives you National Insurance credits while your child is under 12, which count towards your State Pension.

2. Work out your adjusted net income for 2027/28 if a pay rise could take you over £60,000.

3. Check what you could get on leave. The new parent benefits checker is a quick place to start.

4. Diary April 2027. If your leave runs past 12 April 2027, look out for the new weekly rates when they're published.

5. Use free guidance. MoneyHelper's guides for becoming a parent cover maternity and paternity pay and childcare costs.

Still got questions?

When do the new Child Benefit rates start? From 12 April 2027. Until then you get £27.05 a week for your eldest child and £17.90 for each other child.

Is Tax-Free Childcare changing? The Budget didn't announce any change. It still adds £2 for every £8 you pay in, up to £2,000 a year per child.

Will the new parental pay help if my baby is due before April 2029? It starts from April 2029, and the government hasn't said it will cover earlier births. The detail is still to come.

Has the 2027/28 maternity pay rate been published? Not yet. The government has confirmed a 3.5% rise and says the full list of rates will follow.

Does the savings tax rise affect me? Only if your savings interest is more than your Personal Savings Allowance and isn't in an ISA. The government says most income tax payers won't be affected.