New baby: the UK admin checklist
Register the birth within 42 days, claim Child Benefit fast (it backdates only 3 months), sort childcare support and update your cover. The ordered list.
On this page
The first weeks with a baby are not when anyone wants to do paperwork — which is exactly why a few tasks with real deadlines get missed. Here they are, in the order they bite, with the figures that apply now.
The numbers
Week 1–6: the deadlines
- 1Register the birth (42 days; 21 in Scotland)Book the register office. If you’re married or in a civil partnership either parent can go; otherwise both must attend for both names to appear on the certificate. Buy 2–3 certified copies — Child Benefit, passports and some employers ask for them.
- 2Claim Child Benefit (from 48 hours after registering)Online via the HMRC app or GOV.UK; first payment usually within weeks. £27.05/week first child, £17.90 each additional. Backdates only 3 months — claim in the first month and you lose nothing.
- 3Register the baby with your GPUse the pink registration form from the hospital or just call the surgery. The baby’s NHS number arrives with the red book (personal child health record); first health-visitor and 6–8 week checks follow.
- 4Tell HMRC / employer about leave and payStatutory Maternity/Paternity/Shared Parental Pay is arranged through your employer; if self-employed, claim Maternity Allowance from Jobcentre Plus. Both partners’ leave dates should be in one calendar.
Month 1–3: money and cover
- High earner? Still claim. If either parent’s adjusted net income is over £60,000, the High Income Child Benefit Charge claws back 1% per £200 over, reaching 100% at £80,000. You can claim and opt out of payments; don’t skip the claim (NI credits, and the child’s NI number at 16).
- Childcare support. Open a Tax-Free Childcare account before you need it: for every £8 you pay in, the government adds £2, up to £2,000 a child a year (£4,000 if disabled). Check the funded hours available in your nation — in England working parents can get funded childcare from 9 months. Eligibility and the rule against combining schemes are on GOV.UK.
- Nursery and childminder waiting lists. In many areas the list is longer than the pregnancy. If you’ll need a place at 9–12 months, enquire now.
- Life insurance and income protection. Someone now depends on your income. Review sums assured and put policies in trust so the money bypasses probate. See do you need life insurance?
- Will and guardianship. A will is the only place you can name a guardian. Without one, the court decides.
- Pension and death-in-service nominations. Update the expression-of-wish forms at work and on any personal pension.
- Travel and health cover. Add the baby to travel insurance and family health policies; get the baby a free GHIC (add them to your NHS application) for EU trips.
Month 3–12: the slower admin
| Task | When | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Passport (£66.50 online, usually ≤ 3 weeks, valid 5 years) | Before the first trip abroad | No guaranteed date — don’t book flights first. See how long a child passport takes |
| Junior ISA / child savings | Any time | Grandparents often ask; £9,000 a year allowance |
| Vaccination schedule | 8, 12, 16 weeks, then 1 year | Dates come via the GP; put them in the shared calendar (UK schedule) |
| Council tax / benefits review | If a parent stops work | Universal Credit, Council Tax Reduction, Healthy Start vouchers |
| Car seat, home insurance contents | Before the first drive / as you buy kit | Contents cover limits creep with baby equipment |
| Funded childcare application | The term before you need it | Applications open in advance and eligibility is reconfirmed every 3 months |
Put it where both of you can see it
The single biggest cause of missed new-baby admin isn’t ignorance — it’s that one exhausted parent is holding all of it in their head. Register the birth, then put every date above (Child Benefit claim, GP checks, vaccinations, leave end dates, nursery deadlines, passport) in one place both partners can see. Our guide to sharing household admin with your partner covers how.
In short
Register the birth within 42 days (21 in Scotland), claim Child Benefit straight after (£27.05/week; 3-month backdating; claim even if you earn over £60,000), register with the GP, and set up childcare support before you need it. Then update your will, life cover and nominations, add the baby to insurance and get a GHIC. Passport only when travel is real. And put every date where both parents can see it.
Frequently asked questions
How long do I have to register the birth?
42 days in England, Wales and Northern Ireland; 21 days in Scotland. You register at the local register office (some hospitals have one), usually by appointment. It’s free; certified copies of the certificate cost extra and you’ll want at least two.
When and how do I claim Child Benefit?
Online, from 48 hours after registering the birth. It pays £27.05 a week for your eldest or only child and £17.90 a week for each additional child, usually every 4 weeks. It backdates a maximum of 3 months from the day you claim — so a slow claim loses money. Claiming also gives the parent who isn’t working National Insurance credits towards their State Pension.
Should I claim Child Benefit if one of us earns over £60,000?
Yes — claim, and either keep the payments and pay the High Income Child Benefit Charge through Self Assessment (1% of the benefit per £200 over £60,000, so 100% at £80,000), or tick the box to receive no payments. Either way the claim protects National Insurance credits and gets the child a National Insurance number automatically at 16. Not claiming at all throws both away.
What childcare help is there?
Tax-Free Childcare: the government adds £2 for every £8 you pay in, up to £2,000 per child per year (£4,000 if disabled), for children under 12. Working parents in England can also get funded childcare hours from 9 months old; Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own schemes. Check eligibility on GOV.UK — you can’t combine Tax-Free Childcare with Universal Credit childcare or childcare vouchers.
Does my baby need a passport straight away?
Only if you plan to travel. When you do, apply online (£66.50), expect it usually within 3 weeks but with no guaranteed date, and remember a child passport lasts only 5 years. The baby also needs its own GHIC for EU travel — it’s free and you can add the baby to your application.
What should we change about our own paperwork?
Make or update a will (name a guardian), review life insurance and income protection now someone depends on your income, update the beneficiary on workplace pensions and death-in-service, add the baby to travel insurance and family health cover, and write an ‘in case of emergency’ file with where everything is.
Sources & last checked
- Register a birth — GOV.UK
- Child Benefit — what you’ll get and how to claim — GOV.UK
- Tax-Free Childcare — GOV.UK
- Check what childcare support you can get — GOV.UK
Last checked against official sources: 26 August 2026.