The Guardian corrects report on HMRC child benefit suspensions after overstating number of affected families

The Guardian has corrected its October 28 report, “HMRC cuts child benefit for 23,500 families based on incomplete travel data,” after initially overstating the number of families affected by the tax agency’s crackdown on alleged benefit fraud.

The original version of the article — written by Lisa O’Carroll and Luke Butterly — stated that “almost 35,000” families had their child benefit suspended after being wrongly flagged as having emigrated. The figure was later revised to 23,489, following updated data provided by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

The report exposed how parents across the UK, including those in Liverpool, Hove and Northern Ireland, had their child benefit payments stopped after returning from holidays via different routes or airports, leading HMRC’s automated system to believe they had left the country permanently. Cases included parents travelling with autistic children, families attending funerals, and workers who were later forced to prove they still lived in the UK.

While the correction may appear minor, the difference between 23,489 and 35,000 households is significant — a 49% overstatement that could have inflated perceptions of the scale of HMRC’s error and the potential policy failure.

The Guardian updated both the headline and text to reflect the verified number and added an editor’s note:

“An earlier version indicated that ‘almost 35,000’ claimants had their benefits suspended; the actual figure, provided by HMRC after publication, is 23,489.”

That distinction matters because inflating the figures risks amplifying public outrage and undermining trust in official data, particularly in a case already sensitive due to its implications for disabled families and low-income parents.

HMRC has since apologised for the wrongful suspensions and pledged to revise its process, saying it would now cross-check employment and residency data before pausing payments.