Child maintenance/child benefit advice

[withaspongeandarustyspanner]

Need a bit of advice.

DD has just started 6th form and I've had a letter saying that child maintenance payments for her have stopped. The reason for this, I am told, is that she is not in full time education. I have replied, saying that she is to be told that if she is in full time education she will still be receiving child benefit and for me to send evidence of receipt of CB.

The thing is, we haven't claimed child benefit for any of my children for a number of years due to my partner earning over the threshold amount.

Does this mean that child maintenance payments for all of them will now stop? Or have I got the wrong end of the stick? I can't find a definitive answer and, naturally, I can't to talk to a real person at the child maintenance place.

Does anyone have any experience of anything similar?

Thanks in advance.

You can have a child benefit claim without receiving the money. Did you just stop the payments or did you not make a claim at all?

I stopped the payments when my partner moved in. His salary was over the threshold. I would have been able to continue to claim, if he was taxes for it, which seemed utterly bonkers to me seeing they aren't his children at all.

So, when CMS say that it has stopped because the CB has stopped, they are talking nonsense?

I'd persevere with calling CMS. Sometimes they send letters that make no sense at all, it's really hard to understand what is going on until you speak to someone.

@withaspongeandarustyspanner

I stopped the payments when my partner moved in. His salary was over the threshold. I would have been able to continue to claim, if he was taxes for it, which seemed utterly bonkers to me seeing they aren't his children at all.

So, when CMS say that it has stopped because the CB has stopped, they are talking nonsense?

Child benefit should be able to give proof of your claim even if you opted out of payment. Did CB not send you a letter asking to let them know your child was staying in education after age 16?

Can the school confirm she is still in education for the benefit of CMS?

I did have a letter from them, but I don't remember it asking me to action anything (it may well have done, I have a busy household and work full time, they all talk to me at once when I get in so it's possible I missed it). I have contacted CB though to explain, so hopefully they will correspond soon.

I'm not sure what information they need from 6th form - they didn't say in their email, so I have asked for clarification.

Grrrr.