Check if you’re owed £1,100 a year in child benefit if your income has dropped

So you have to pay back 1 per cent of any child benefit you get for every £100 you earn over £50,000 each year.

And once you hit £60,000, that tax charge completely wipes out any gain from taking out child benefit.

Parents should still claim despite this though, as not doing so could seem them loose vital national insurance contributions needed to qualify for the state pension.

But tax experts at accountancy firm Blick Rothenberg reckon tens of thousands of parents who've seen a drop in income because of coronavirus could now claim the benefit.

He adds that families should claim sooner rather than later as you can only backdate claims by three months.

"Some families might be tempted to wait for a few months, to see how long the coronavirus lockdown lasts and get a better understanding of what their income could be for 2020/21," said Mr Salter.

"But it is only possible to claim child benefit retrospectively for a maximum period of three months.