Have I committed fraud?

Having the correct information is not “superior knowledge”, it’s education. Try it some time

Yes, I do know people getting large sums of child maintenance, which are disregarded, and claiming benefits and I also know another widowed parent who was not able to claim because the life insurance was just above the threshold and they are skimping and saving as trying to keep some sort of a financial buffer in case they needed it but unable to claim anything . There is no disregard for widowed parents receiving life insurance and they will not be able to claim child maintenance from a deceased partner, I was just trying to highlight how someone could be getting much more that the allowed savings allowance a year in child maintenance and still be claiming whereas a widowed parent would not be able to claim if a life insurance payment was just over the savings allowance. A widowed parent would have to wait until the life insurance money was depleted and then claim but not have the financial help of child maintenance so struggle further.

You've missed my point more than once. I'll leave you to your conviction that the DWP has in-depth knowledge of the bank accounts of every claimant and is biding its time waiting to see if each person declares all bank accounts before swooping in and pouncing. And to your belief that you have superior knowledge about a well publicised piece of legislation that you can use as a "gotcha" to the less intelligent than you and an opportunity to "educate" those poor dim posters.

You are absolutely allowed money gifts from family. It’s disregarded in the same way maintenance is. No need to hide it

Declare all your financial incomings and all bank accounts. If your dad is contributing to be able to afford some shopping or activity for a child fair enough if he’s sending you £1000 a month and you still allowed to claim tax payers money that to me sounds a little wrong but let DWP decide. Workers are unable to hide paid income via HMRC so why do you think because your income is unearned you should be allowed to hide it?

Don’t listen to all the nonsense people are saying aboit all this awful consequences. Just update your details. It’s not fraud as none of the money in any of the accounts will affect your claim. Obviously you need to give details of all accounts - they will see the other accounts exist as you transfer to/from main account. Friend of mine had similar recently. They said oh you should have declared that. She said sorry and that was that. Like you the money did not affect her claim so there were no consequences

Goodness - the level of pearl clutching and judgy comments in this thread.

OP - you've not gained financial benefit and it doesn't impact your entitlement. The child maintenance and gifts are disregarded anyway - just declare all bank accounts.

Ignore the nosey posters - it's no one else's business why you choose to have 3 accounts and manage them however you see fit. So much envy and rage out there and herd mentality whenever anyone asks about benefits rules, others try to put them down. It's not acceptable and is a reflection of the mean spirited society we currently live in, sadly.

You need to read the new act again then. Because they absolutely do know. I also suggest you look up the “connect” computer/AI system. It is an AI enhanced data cross referencing system, that takes away the need for physical “staff” to have to do any monitoring, that is the whole point of it. It knows everything about everyone of us that exists electronically. It’s been in development for years, but for it to be used to its full potential legally then the F.E.A.R act had to be passed, which happened on 5th of December.
So yes, you will have more “educate yourself” from me. The info is all publicly available.
Then when you have actually read it, ask yourself, why doesnt hardly anyone on this thread seem to know about such a massively intrusive bill, that affects every person in the country. Why wasn’t it mentioned on the news or mainstream media last week? It’s almost like they wanted it go quietly under the radar…..

Do you know how many get anything near £20k?

It's disregarded because most people get diddly squat and, as the Child Support saga in the nineties showed, trying to (a) force people to claim it and (b) involving it in benefits was incredibly cruel and messy.

Just write and say that you hadn't declared these bank accounts because all they are used for is for money coming in for child maintenance. And you had been told that child maintenance is disregarded.

But now a friend has told you that you have to declare all your bank accounts, and has pointed out that you could be getting thousands and thousands in CM, so you apologise for your mistake and here are the details of the accounts.~

If you are proactive about telling them, I doubt that anything awful will happen!

There are loads of ways to milk the system for all its worth, but that doesn't mean the OP is doing anything wrong other than not having disclosed the accounts. I've not dealt with DWP but have with HRMC a lot and have found that if errors have been made that don't have any impact they just correct the record and move on.

Yes you haven't declared bank accounts that you know you have, regardless of what they're for they need to be declared, UC are very clear about this. Best to be honest and own up to it now.

You are making up that "they" know an individual has three accounts and "they" are waiting for that individual to tell "them" about it. I'm fully aware of the new act, thanks. There just aren't enough staff in the DWP to know who has what account and to lie in wait for that person.
The act allows bank accounts to be monitored if there's suspicion of fraud. It has no provision for checking how many (legitimate) accounts every claimant has.

Please, no more eDUcATe YourSeLf type comments from you.

Absolutely no need to lecture me on a thing.

What's the misinformation you think I've given? I'm happy to clarify anything you've misunderstood.

Child maintenance doesn’t count - this all sounds fine / don’t listen to the mumsnet negatives sort being unpleasant. Do your research online but stop panicking x

This is correct and madness as if you are widowed and receive any life insurance over 6k it is counted and anything over 16K and you can’t claim. Widowed parents have no way of claiming child maintenance from their dead partner but a person who is divorced could be getting £20k a year or more in child maintenance and it is disregarded.

Not nessarily.

CM has been disregarded as income for calculating the legacy benefits, and now UC, for over 15 years. And small, infrequent gifts from family members are also disregarded as income, so OP can give the bank statements for both her other accounts to the DWP with no fear of being accused of committing fraud (despite what some of the ignoramuses on here are claiming) because she hasn't.
CM is disregarded because it is not a reliable form of support for children - absent parents can stop paying it at any time and some never pay it (20% in fact). Why should children suffer because of a delinquent absent parent? The child element of UC guarantees a minimum, regular support payment for children whose parents are on a low income (as so many single parents are).
Finally, 40% of UC claimants also work and pay tax so many of them are paying for their own "circus" - or as they would see it, their life. I've honestly never understood the attitude of some people who have so much resenting those who have so little as to need state support, but you do you.

And some people have more outgoings

Plenty of families on UC have a lot less money.

Yep, childcare and rent can be silly amounts. You get what you are entitled to.

But it’s true.. I barley have a pot to piss in

Oof, you are brave. Wait for the comments saying they can't believe you can be on £50k and get UC.

Yup, I am a single mum to two on almost 50k a year (work my tits off!) and still get UC because of my ridiculously expensive rent & childcare

Once more. Millions of people on universal credit are in work. Keep your spiteful nasty benefit bashing comments to yourself