Family allowance extended to cover school year

Guernsey's family allowance benefit has been extended to cover 18-year-olds who are still at school.

From Tuesday, families who qualified for the weekly family allowance or widowed parent's allowance would continue to receive support until the end of the academic year if their child turned 18 while still in full-time education, officials said.

Previously, entitlement ended when a child reached their 18th birthday, even if they were part way through an academic year.

States member Mark Gannon said the change would ensure support would not end during a child's studies.

Under the new rules, entitlement would continue until the end of the academic year, provided the child remained in full-time education, officials said.

The change had been implemented after the States of Deliberation approved changes to the rules for family allowance and widowed parent's allowance in 2025, officials added.

Gannon, service lead for benefits and work support at the States of Guernsey, said: "Aligning entitlement with the academic year provides a simpler and more consistent approach for families and ensures support does not end part way through."

Existing claimants would not need to take any action as entitlement would be assessed automatically under the new rules, he added.

The family allowance is given to people whose annual gross household income is below £125,000 and who are responsible for bringing up a child who is under school leaving age or 17 or 18 years old and in full-time education.

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