CBTM07020 - Prescribed conditions for a child or qualifying young person: Education and training condition
Child Benefit General (Regulations) 2006, regulation 3
From 1st September 2025
A person under the age of 20 is a qualifying young person if they meet the following conditions:
They are undertaking a course of full-time education (see CBTM07022) that:
Is not advanced education (see CBTM07021),
Is not provided by virtue of employment or any office held.
Note:
A person aged 19 qualifies only if they began, were accepted, or enrolled on the course before turning 19.
Before 1st September 2025
A person under the age of 20 is a qualifying young person if they are:
Undertaking a course of full-time non-advanced education that:
Is not provided by virtue of employment or office held,
Is provided:
At a school or college, or
Elsewhere, but approved by the Commissioners,
·ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý As part of a Study Programme in England (from September 2013).
Undertaking approved training (see CBTM07024) that:
Is not provided under a contract of employment.
Having completed one of the above, and is accepted or enrolled to undertake a further qualifying course.
Additional Notes:
A person aged 19 qualifies only if they began or were accepted/enrolled on the course before turning 19.
A person does not qualify if:
They undertake full-time non-advanced education elsewhere, unless:
They received such education as a child, or
They began home education after age 16, have a statement of special educational needs, and the local authority has assessed the home education programme as suitable.
Studying Both Non-Advanced and Advanced Education
A young person may still qualify as a qualifying young person if they are undertaking both non-advanced and advanced education, provided the non-advanced education meets the required conditions.
This includes situations where the young person is enrolled on two separate courses—for example:
A full-time non-advanced course such as A Levels, and
A separate advanced course such as a degree programme at university.
Key condition:
To remain a qualifying young person, the non-advanced education must be full-time, which typically means more than 12 hours of supervised study per week.
Example:
A young person is studying A Levels at a sixth form college (non-advanced, full-time) and is also enrolled in a part-time university degree course (advanced). As long as the A Level course meets the full-time criteria and is not provided by virtue of employment or office held, they continue to meet the qualifying conditions for Child Benefit purposes.
Working While Studying
A young person may work while studying, provided:
They continue full-time non-advanced education,
The education is not provided by virtue of employment or any office held.
Example:
A student working 25 hours/week in the evenings still qualifies if their education meets the above conditions.