Child tax credits are money you get back from the government if you are on a lower income and have children. There is also a type of payment called working tax credit, which you can sometimes claim if you don't have children.

It's usually working families who claim these credits, but not always. The figures vary according to individual circumstances, and also get changed regularly, but you can get a general idea from the official website for government benefits. As a rough guide, if you have one child and earn less than £26,000 a year you should qualify; if you have two children the limit is £32,000.

To get a more exact idea of your own entitlement, you could go to the HMRC website and find the sections that apply most to your situation (eg working more or less than 16 hours a week, one parent or two, any disabled children - all these affect your entitlement.) You can then look at the tables provided on the website or use the credit calculator. You can contact HMRC directly if there are any questions.