Child benefit claims have skyrocketed in recent months following the introduction of a rule change by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). A Freedom of Information (FOI) request found that 86,656 new claims were made in July, 16 per cent higher than the previous month. This comes after Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced changes to the high Income child benefit charge during the last Government’s Spring Budget. Parents and guardians have to pay back money to HMRC from the benefit if they start earning over a certain amount. In Hunt’s last Budget, the former Treasury boss confirmed the threshold would b…