Child Benefit Loans

Child Benefit Loans are fair and affordable loans provided by London Mutual Credit Union, as a much cheaper alternative to high-cost lenders.

You can apply for a first Child Benefit Loan of up to £600, on the condition that your Child Benefit is paid directly to the credit union.

You can apply for a Child Benefit Loan for any purpose that supports your family. Many people find this loan helpful for paying up-front childcare costs (such as nursery deposits) or meeting expenses such as school uniforms or trips.

If you are offered this loan, you will be asked to contact HMRC requesting that your Child Benefit is redirected to the credit union. Once you’ve done this, we'll release the loan as soon as we can see the first child benefit payment from HMRC arriving into your account.

Loan repayments and regular saving contributions will be taken automatically each time your Child Benefit comes into the credit union. The remainder is yours to withdraw or add to your savings.

Credit unions are not-for-profit financial cooperatives that are used by over 1.2 million people in the UK and recommended by everyone from Martin Lewis, the Money Saving Expert to the Archbishop of Canterbury. Each credit union is mutually owned by all its members so everyone who saves, borrows or uses its financial services has a say in how it is operated.

They offer a range of simple and safe savings accounts and affordable loan products as well as a range of other financial services.

Yes. Just like all banks and building societies, every credit union is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the  Prudential Regulation Authority.

In addition, they are covered by the  Financial Ombudsman Service and any savings you deposit are 100% protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

You will need to join London Mutual Credit Union – unless you are lucky enough to already be a member.

This is a simple process and will be part of your loan application. If your loan is approved, you will automatically become a member.

If you are not already a member, there may be a one-off £2 membership fee to join.

In addition, everyone has to make a minimum saving deposit of £5 to activate your membership, and is put into your new credit union savings account.

You’ll be notified of these requirements in advance and they are only required if your loan is actually approved. You will have the amount reduced from the loan amount transferred.

To apply for a Child Benefit Loan you must:

• Be over 18 years old.
• Be in receipt of Child Benefit and agree to your Child Benefit being paid directly from HMRC to your credit union.
• Have a UK address.
• Not be bankrupt or currently in an Individual Voluntary Arrangement or Debt Relief Order.
• Agree to save a minimum of £10.00 a month (or £10 a month) whilst repaying your loan, which cannot be withdrawn until the loan is repaid or topped up.
• Agree to a credit check being performed.
• If approved, you will become a member of London Mutual Credit Union, but don’t worry, this process is all part of your loan application.

As part of the application process, we'll carry out checks to make sure you can afford repayments on theloan you've asked for. If you are already struggling to repay other credit, we are unlikely to be able to offer you a Child Benefit Loan. If you are struggling to keep up with existing borrowing, a better option may be to talk through your options with an independent debt advisor such as StepChange Debt Charity  or National Debtline, who can help with confidential, non-judgemental advice on dealing with your debts.

We need you to provide personal information, including: your National Insurance number, Child Benefit number, your home address(es) for the last 3 years and your bank account details where your Child Benefit is currently paid.

The bank account you use for your day-to-day banking and bills, plus details of the bank account your Child Benefit is paid into, if different.

Yes. As part of the loan application process, we will ask for your consent to carry out a credit check with credit reference agencies. This helps us to prevent fraud, and also ensures we only approve applications from people who we believe will be able to repay what they borrow.

To apply you will need to provide the valid bank or building society current account that your Child Benefit is currently paid into.

If approved, we will deposit the loan funds into this bank account.

You can make a Child Benefit Loan application 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including bank holidays.

Once you have submitted your loan application and provided any supporting documentation requested, we aim to provide a decision within 1-3 working days.

Once your loan application is approved, you will need to electronically sign the loan agreement. We will then let you know how to contact HMRC to get your child benefit payments redirected, which can take between 1-4 weeks. Your loan funds will only be sent to your nominated bank account when the first payment is received by the credit union.

Each application is assessed on an individual basis taking into account a number of factors. We are therefore unable to offer an indication of whether or not your application would be accepted before you submit it.

Please note – if you do apply and are unsuccessful, this will not leave a footprint on your credit file.

In most cases, your application will be completed online without the need for additional information. However, there may be occasions where you need to send further paperwork to help make a decision.

You will be notified by email if this happens and exactly what you need to do.

The statutory right of withdrawal does not apply to this credit union loan, however, you can withdraw from the agreement within 14 days of taking the loan out. You will be charged interest until the date the loan is repaid (which must be within 30 days of notifying us of your intention to withdraw).

You can make extra payments on your loan at any time and if you want to repay it early, you’ll only pay the remaining balance and accrued interest due.

To do this or for more information, please contact us.

Once you have been notified that your Child Benefit Loan application has been approved there are just a couple of simple steps remaining.

We will send you the loan agreement that you will need to review and electronically sign. You will be emailed copies of this document.

Once you have signed the loan agreement, we will let you know how to contact HMRC to get your Child Benefit payments redirected to the credit union.

The loan will be paid into your nominated bank account once the first child benefit payment is received.

Your loan funds will be sent once the first Child Benefit payment is received by the credit union. It will be sent to the current account that you identified on your application by Faster Payment.

Your Child Benefit payments will be paid directly to the credit union. This will be used to repay your loan.

Yes, you can, there are no charges for early repayment and by repaying early, you'll save even more money in interest.

You are eligible to apply for an additional loan with us once at least half of any previous loans with us are paid.

The first step is to speak to us. We can talk it through with you to better understand your situation and help explore the options available.

As part of your application, you must commit to saving a minimum of £10 a month, which cannot be withdrawn until your loan has been fully repaid.

These regular saving contributions will be taken each time your Child Benefit is received by the credit union, alongside your loan repayments. The remainder is yours to withdraw or add to your savings.

Your savings with the credit union are fully covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), so your money is just as safe as it is in a bank or building society.

Your locked in savings will only be available once your loan has been fully repaid.

Any other remaining funds can be withdrawn at any time by making a withdrawal request with the credit union.

If you can answer yes to one or more of these questions you might be borrowing from a loan shark:

• Did they offer you a cash loan?
• Did they not give you paperwork?
• Did they add huge amounts of interest or APR to your loan?
• Have they threatened you?
• Have they taken your bank card, passport, watch or other valuables from you?

The Stop Loan Sharks team have a 100% safe online reporting form that you can use to report illegal money lenders. Their team are also available 24/7 on 0300 555 2222 for anonymous information taken in the strictest of confidence.

You can search the Financial Conduct Authority database for all legal money lenders in the UK. Or call the Stop Loan Sharks team on 0300 555 2222 and they can tell you if your lender is legal or illegal.