Do you think child benefit should be capped like other benefits ?

[Spendthrifty]

Just had a (v wealthy) family member exclaim that they are v surprised I get child benefit for my new baby as they ‘thought it was capped at 2 children’ .They aren’t really sure though as earn approx 80k so don’t receive it themselves 😣🙄
Feeling very judged and then hear from someone else that said family meme we above believes giving us an extra £13a Week is encouraging people to have more children when they can’t afford it and encourages being a spendthrift .....

Feeling pretty shitty tbh about it is this what people really think

@BuffaloCauliflower

We won’t get CB as DH earns too much (and I’ll still be working so no reason to claim and pay the tax) I can’t imagine anyone thinking £13 a week would be the incentive to make anyone have more children, and I don’t think it should be capped at any amount. It’s barely the child’s food for the week if you’re on a lower income, and I don’t agree with the government trying to police how many children people have. Very few people deliberately have more children than the reasonably feel they can afford. £13 a week is unlikely to make much difference to that affordability!

It sounds like maybe OPs relative just made a throw away comment and didn’t think.

A lot of people do deliberately have children without consideration of how they will fund more than 2. I can understand why the benefit Cap was brought in. I do agree though £13 a week is not the reason either.

@BuffaloCauliflower yes.

were born as a result of a non-consensual conception (including rape) or conceived when you were in a controlling or coercive relationship

The exact wording from gov.uk

It’s very odd wording as there’s no non-consensual sex option that isn’t rape

Honestly until recently I thought it was capped at 2 as well. I think it's child tax credit or something like that?
It doesn't sound like they were judging you with the first part, second part is just weird and delusional.

I don't think benefits should be capped.

It's easy to be judgemental of the parents, but it's the children that get shafted by these policies.

We have 3 young dc and only dh works. We've always got child benefit which is the only thing we have ever got from the government. Dh works very hard in a sales job but usually still earns less than 40k, but last year he had a good year and earned just over the threshold and we got a lovely letter a month before Xmas asking for 2k back. What a kick in the fucking balls.

@BuffaloCauliflower

It’s very odd wording as there’s no non-consensual sex option that isn’t rape

I think it's possibly important in law? I agree with you, but there must be a specific legal reason why it doesn't just say rape.

I'm a bit torn on this tbh.

I do think we should be encouraging people to have fewer children, mainly for environmental reasons, so in some ways, the benefits system ought to reflect that.

On the other hand, children don't ask to be born, and once they're here, they should not have to grow up in poverty. I very much doubt that anyone would decide not to have a third child for the sake of £13 per week, and so this is probably the more likely outcome.

So no, on balance, I don't think that child benefit should be capped at 2 children, but I do think we should do more to educate people about the environmental impact of large families.

I also think the earnings cap on child benefit should be applied equally across single/dual income households.

I hardly think £13 pw is going to be a deciding fact in having a child 🙄

I thought it was capped at two as well, doesn’t mean I think it should be (which o don’t) so no reason to think they were being judgmental, just that they didn’t know the details of the system, and got it confused.

I was just a bit hurt as like others have said £13 a week isn’t really something that makes you think ooh I’ll have another baby for that
and then to find out it’s been the subject of conversations with other people just struck me as odd.

The way it is calculated just now is completely unfair. It should be changed and capped to two children.

@safariboot

I don't think benefits should be capped.

It's easy to be judgemental of the parents, but it's the children that get shafted by these policies.

Who is going to fund everything though? It sounds harsh but you can’t just decide to have kids based on your “urge”. You have to consider the bigger picture as well.

The line has to be drawn some where.

I don’t think CB should be capped. I do think that high income households shouldn’t receive it. I strongly object to CB being based on individual income not family income. One person earning £60k gets no CB, but two people both earning £49k (£98k total) get full CB. That is totally wrong and unfair.

It's not much at £13 a week. But I wouldn't object if it was limited to two children.

If you're on universal credit you get an extra £250 a month for a second child; it's not just thirteen quid a week extra. Given how much a second child costs to run, it's really not the most effective way of making wads of cash. It's the first child that makes all the difference when you're reliant on benefits, because of the extra housing payment.

The people you've spoken to were talking out their arses, OP. Ignore 'em.

@WizWoz I agree.

*If you're on universal credit you get an extra £250 a month for a second child; it's not just thirteen quid a week extra.i

We’re discussing a third child, not a second child.

@Fionasmammy

I wasn't talking about the 13 quids alone, it's everything else that comes with it. Yes really darling x *@youre*

But nothing comes with it? For many people CB is all they are entitled to.

"Darling"

@Fionasmammy

I too thought there was a cap at 2 children for cb?? We dont get cb but from 50k i think you pay a tax on cb anyway. I dont think cb itself encourages benefit fraud but there is an incentive to keep having children for a bigger property and until recently you would get more benefits the more children you have. This is right because why should children suffer and this is a civilised country but yes of course a small minority who see having MORE children as their meal ticket. To be clear i dont think only the rich should have kids or that women should abort if they cant afford a child but some really do see having more children as a financial option.

@your

Maybe YOU don't get associated benefits with having cb but others do. Like what? I refered to a bigger property for having more children and therefore needing more room and benefits.. other posters refered to uc and cb 🙄

Its not as easy to get a bigger property as you are suggesting. My sister was in council property with 3 kids - 2 boys, 1 girl in a 2 bed house. There was no availability of larger properties so they were stuck with 3 kids in 1 room. Ended up having to privately rent (at the limit of their finances) when her dd was around 11 as she wasn't supposed to share with her 2 brothers by then

A bigger property? Only If you’re a council tenant and only if the new child brings you over the entitlement for the house you’re currently in and only if there is a bigger property available. (Stonkingly rare these days and getting rarer) not all CB recipients are in council housing. UC doesn’t increase if you have more children after the second one.

So I ask again, what is “everything else that comes with it”? Other than the tiny possibility of another bedroom?

I think it needs scrapping too. The money could be used for healthcare etc rather than funding lifestyle choices people make.