FEWER families in Wyre Forest were claiming Child Benefit last year, new figures have revealed.

Anti-poverty campaign group Turn2Us warned the “intimidating” benefits system could deter families who need help from applying for cash they are entitled to.

Parents can claim Child Benefit – it is usually paid every four weeks and families receive £21.80 per week for the eldest child, and £14.45 for each subsequent child.

Families where one parent earns more than £50,000 a year are still eligible for the benefit, but will be taxed on it, so are able to opt out of receiving the money.

New HMRC data reveals there were 10,480 families in Wyre Forest in receipt of the benefit on August 31 last year — a slight decrease on the same date in 2021.

This meant there were 15 fewer families receiving Child Benefit, in line with national trends.

In 2022 7.7 million families across the UK were claiming Child Benefit, with 683,000 opting out.

This is a decrease of 43,000 claiming families, including those opting out, and 75,000 families receiving the payment when compared to August 2021.

David Samson, benefits specialist at Turn2us, said Child Benefit used to be much simpler, but parents were being put off by the “poorly-designed” HICBC.

A spokesperson for HMRC stressed it is important to register for Child Benefit even if you don’t claim the money, as it helps parents qualify for National Insurance credits which help protect their state pension.

The data also reveals the size of the families receiving Child Benefit.

In Wyre Forest, 4,995 families had one child, while there were 3,965 with two and 1,125 with three children.

Overall there were 18,015 children in Wyre Forest living in families in receipt of child benefit – up from 18,160 the year before.