Child Benefit in the UK, as a named, universal payment for each child, started to be introduced in 1977 and was fully in place by 1979 , replacing the earlier Family Allowance and child tax allowances systems.

Quick history snapshot

  • Before Child Benefit, support mainly came through child tax allowances in the income tax system and Family Allowance , which paid for children from the second child onward.
  • The modern idea of universal, per‑child support built up over the 20th century, especially after World War II with the Family Allowances Act 1945 and payments from 1946.
  • In 1975 , Parliament passed the Child Benefit Bill, and the new Child Benefit scheme was then phased in between 1977 and 1979 , creating the system that still underpins UK child support today (though with many later tweaks).

Why 1977–1979 matters

  • Those years mark the point where support shifted from a mix of tax breaks and partial allowances to a single, cash benefit for every child , normally paid to the main carer.
  • Official and media pieces often describe Child Benefit as having been “launched” in the late 1970s, which is why you sometimes see it referred to as being around 47–50 years old today.

So if you’re asking “when did Child Benefit start?” in a UK context, the key date to remember is: introduced in 1977, completed by 1979.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.