Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate HM Revenue and Customs has made of the value of Child Benefit overpayments arising from (a) fraud and (b) error that are expected to be unrecoverable because the claimant has left the UK.

HMRC seeks recovery of Child Benefit overpayments through its debt management processes. This includes situations where a claimant has left the UK.

The Government has invested in additional HMRC resource to prevent losses from those in receipt of Child Benefit moving abroad without notifying HMRC. This is forecast to save £285m between 2025-26 and 2029-30. Any additional monies recovered through debt collection would be in addition to these savings.

HMRC does not hold the specific estimates requested.