General · 29 June 2026
HMRC errors cost 23,000 families child benefits over 'moved abroad' claims
Philafrenzy via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA-4.0)
Families lost child benefit after mistakes left many wrongly treated as having moved abroad. A National Audit Office report said HM Revenue and Customs did not properly assess the effects of its anti-fraud scheme before suspending payments, and the findings were published on Monday. Home Office flight records were used, while missing safeguards added to problems affecting about 23,000 families.
Reported by The Guardian · How we write briefs