Page 12 | Have I committed fraud?

Newyearawaits · 12/12/2025 19:22

youarebeingsoextrarightnow · 12/12/2025 12:54

Universal Credit claimants do not have to declare if they are receiving any child maintenance as it does not affect their Universal Credit claim

This really surprises me.
So if a claimant is receiving thousands in cms, that doesn't affect amount of uc?
In this case, uc claimants are getting a very good deal.

anneblythe · 12/12/2025 19:05

crossedlines · 12/12/2025 12:55

Many people who don’t get UC tops ups have to spend every penny of their earned income every month just to keep their heads above water. I’m not sure why you think spending it all is relevant?

Because if it was unspent it could count as capital and affect the UC award if the saving were ovwr £6,000

katrun85 · 12/12/2025 18:59

The DWP know what bank accounts you’ve got. They are able to check using agencies like Experian so they already know you have accounts you haven’t declared. I don’t think you’ll get sanctioned as if you are saying it’s just the child maintenance that goes into these accounts- then that money is disregarded in terms of UC entitlement. So it won’t effects how much you would have been entitled to unless at any point you had over £6k in savings- yes £6k now- and it starts reducing. So, take a breath. Prove where the money is coming from and that it’s child maintenance and all will come good.

ForWittyTealOP · 12/12/2025 18:43

viques · 12/12/2025 17:34

claiming you thought maintenance was disregarded when you own up to juggling money in three bank accounts you are operating under different names is not exactly a brilliant defence is it?

Get in touch with UC and talk through what has happened.

Or don't bother wasting their time because unless it's a very quiet day, they're not going to care.

Following UC rules is no more a crime than having a few bank accounts. Many, if not most people I help with claims have at least two.

ForWittyTealOP · 12/12/2025 18:41

CockSpadget · 12/12/2025 16:51

Only 3 pages in, so I don’t know if it’s been mentioned after that (won’t hurt to mention it again anyway), but a bill was passed by royal assent last week. It’s the Fraud error and recovery bill (fear bill for short), and included in it is that the bank accounts of every single one of us (on benefits or not) are now visible to hmrc, dwp etc any time they want, the banks have to give them access, and they do not have to inform us.
There is no hiding anything electronically any more. They have a system called “connect” which scans bank accounts and flags anything that doesn’t match your personal situation. So if you are on benefits and have any other payments going in from non disclosed sources, instant flag, and investigation triggered. Work for an employer but have any other regular payments going in, flagged and investigation triggered. Sole trader and bank income doesn’t match tax return, flagged etc etc.
It also scans your social media to see if there are any “lifestyle” mismatches, on benefits but posting from luxury holidays abroad or have a brand new car, or Rolex etc…flagged.
they are also linked with Vinted, Etsy eBay etc to crackdown on reseller side hustling.
So they already know about the accounts OP, and are waiting for you to admit to them.

No "they're" not, don't be silly. It's really common for people to have accounts they've forgotten to mention or didn't know they had to. When UC started asking for PayPal statements we had a big headache at work figuring out how to print them because nobody ever saw them as bank accounts to declare and there wasn't a natural way to do it!
Honestly, people must be bored making up all this cloak and dagger business. A DWP investigator is not hiding under anyone's bed!

TellTaleHeart14 · 12/12/2025 18:38

You have not committed fraud, disregard the people telling you this. If you had thousands of pounds in the accounts then yes but this isn’t the case. Child maintenance isn’t taken into consideration with UC. Just take all your statements and it will be fine.

I had to go in to show accounts recently as a large payment was put into my account to pay off my mortgage. They were so friendly and helpful.

A word of advice Google is much friendlier and informative than the woman on mumsnet.

Roobarbtwo · 12/12/2025 18:32

You do not need to declare income that you receive from a family member as long as it doesn't take you over the 6k savings. Cash gifts are allowed - there have been times in the past that I was struggling very badly when I was running a home on 317 pounds a month and the dwp had zero issues when my mum gave me some money to help out

Kirbert2 · 12/12/2025 18:25

charliehungerford · 12/12/2025 18:20

But surely if they suddenly stop paying the resident parent would then put in a claim for UC ? I’m sure the system could deal with it just as it does when UC payments vary depending on how much you have earned in a payment period, the amount of UC you receive is adjusted.

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It's to protect the child from fathers who only pay when they feel like it. It was changed for good reason.

GeorgieFG · 12/12/2025 18:24

Boxedin2431 · 12/12/2025 12:32

What will happen do you think? It is child maintenance paid every month, the same amount, from my children’s dad.

If the child maintenance is disregarded it shouldn't effect your claim or get you into trouble, but you need to declare everything.

ForWittyTealOP · 12/12/2025 18:23

snoopythebeagle · 12/12/2025 13:54

I am sure - she doesn’t need to declare her maintenance but she does need to declare the income she’s receiving from her own father!

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Or not, as already evidenced. You don't have to declare cash gifts. You have to declare if your savings go over 6k and then 16k. So if the cash gift takes you over that, you need to inform UC.

Blarghism · 12/12/2025 18:20

snoopythebeagle · 12/12/2025 13:59

Maintenance might be disregarded but she is also receiving money from her own father which she hasn’t declared.

It may not impact her claim but she’s supposed to declare all cash gifts.

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All cash gifts that take your savings over £6k, there is no indication that any of these gifts have been that high.

charliehungerford · 12/12/2025 18:20

Kirbert2 · 12/12/2025 13:38

Yes. CM isn't guaranteed income because men can be inconsistent with paying it or suddenly decide to completely stop paying it with little to no ramifications.

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But surely if they suddenly stop paying the resident parent would then put in a claim for UC ? I’m sure the system could deal with it just as it does when UC payments vary depending on how much you have earned in a payment period, the amount of UC you receive is adjusted.

nadine90 · 12/12/2025 18:19

This had actually never occurred to me! I opened a Monzo account this year purely to pay the kids pocket money, didn’t think to declare it! You won’t be the only one op, just let them know now you know, I’ll be doing the same 😬🤞

MikeRafone · 12/12/2025 18:16

UC will eventually twig that you have 3 bank accounts as you put money from one to the other - just put all three bank account into the system now - rather than being investigated further down the line

LakieLady · 12/12/2025 18:12

Bromptotoo · 12/12/2025 14:45

@LakieLady it's pretty difficult to fall foul of deprivation of capital rules if you don't know the rules exist....

I agree entirely!

Benefit bashers would undoubtedly trot out "ignorance of the law is no defence" though.

Blogswife · 12/12/2025 18:10

Declare all 3 but child maintenance is disregarded for UC so if that’s the only income going through the other 2 accounts you should be ok

WiddlinDiddlin · 12/12/2025 18:09

Sillysoggyspaniel · 12/12/2025 12:30

I spend every penny every month, doesn't make me entitled to benefits 😂

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So what?

In your rush to trip over yourself to give the OP a kicking, you've missed the relevancy of this.

No savings = not hiding savings from the DWP, over a certain amount of savings would reduce your UC payments or stop them entirely. OP isn't saying she deserves benefits or qualifies because she has no savings, she's saying she's not hiding a big fat savings account balance from anyone.

As long as she's declaring all the income she has to declare, I don't know that they really care where you keep it, but it is better to let them know about all your bank accounts, yes.

If you have income that you know you should declare and you don't, you will get caught out, they can find out.

Hithismyname · 12/12/2025 18:08

It is disregarded. I would give them a quick phone call and ask etc if you are really worried and then just declare everything and all accounts as it won't be counted anyway but may aswell say.

AngelicKaty · 12/12/2025 18:08

viques · 12/12/2025 17:52

I have. And while child maintenance might be disregarded I imagine they will want to take a close look at the OPs finances as most people would think operating three bank accounts under three different names is a bit questionable.

No, most people wouldn't think that. It's perfectly legal to have more than one bank account and many people do. It's even legal to open a bank account in a different name to your own, so long as there is no intention to defraud.
The DWP will look at the bank statements OP provides them for her other two bank accounts and once they've satisfied themselves that the only money being paid into them is child maintenance and the occasional gift from her dad that will be the end of it.

Blarghism · 12/12/2025 18:07

snoopythebeagle · 12/12/2025 13:07

She also received money from her dad - that’s not maintenance and will absolutely count towards her income.

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Nope. That's a gift and doesn't count

Daygloboo · 12/12/2025 18:05

Boxedin2431 · 12/12/2025 12:25

I am a single mum to three.

I have a UC review and bank statements are due.
I have three bank accounts and two I have not declared.
The two bank accounts I have not declared get child maintenance paid in from my children’s dads, respectively.
I have not had any other income apart from the maintenance and some help from my dad sometimes.
i transfer money between all three.
Two bank accounts are in my birth name, the third is in my middle name.

Am I in trouble when I declare them?

I only have UC, child benefit into the one I have declared.
i have child maintenance into one bank account and another child maintenance into the other bank account.

Shall I include 6 month statement for all three?

Yes just say you didnt think child maintenance was an issue and you like to have different accounts because you like to keep them separate for clarity as to what is what. It doesnt sound like you have hidden any income that would affect UC. But in future you should show all your accounts.

AngelicKaty · 12/12/2025 17:59

DoYouThinkYouCouldTell · 12/12/2025 17:49

I send/lend/give money on occasion to someone on UC.
This has never been a problem.
But you do need to declare all accounts.
There was talk of the government granting powers to search accounts recently, but I'm not sure what happened with that.

Yes, see @CockSpadget 's helpful update on the government bill at 16:51 on page 11. 😊

PurpleLlama421 · 12/12/2025 17:58

AngelicKaty · 12/12/2025 17:56

Child Maintenance is disregarded as income for UC though - OP is absolutely correct - and having more than one bank account in different names is perfectly legal so long as there's no intention to defraud. OP has committed nothing more than an admin error which will be resolved when the DWP review the bank statements of her other two accounts and see that the only money going into them is CM payments from the children's fathers and the occasional gift from OP's dad.

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Exactly this.

AngelicKaty · 12/12/2025 17:56

viques · 12/12/2025 17:34

claiming you thought maintenance was disregarded when you own up to juggling money in three bank accounts you are operating under different names is not exactly a brilliant defence is it?

Get in touch with UC and talk through what has happened.

Child Maintenance is disregarded as income for UC though - OP is absolutely correct - and having more than one bank account in different names is perfectly legal so long as there's no intention to defraud. OP has committed nothing more than an admin error which will be resolved when the DWP review the bank statements of her other two accounts and see that the only money going into them is CM payments from the children's fathers and the occasional gift from OP's dad.

PurpleLlama421 · 12/12/2025 17:56

DoYouThinkYouCouldTell · 12/12/2025 17:49

I send/lend/give money on occasion to someone on UC.
This has never been a problem.
But you do need to declare all accounts.
There was talk of the government granting powers to search accounts recently, but I'm not sure what happened with that.

HMRC have powers to search bank accounts. I have three bank accounts and haven’t claimed any benefits since the late 1990s. It’s not a crime to have more than one bank account.