Should I have been claiming child benefit all this time?

[cantforthelifeofme]

I have a 4yo and 1yo and I've just happened across an advert saying 'if your child was born during the pandemic you could be eligible for child benefit'.

Looking into it, it seems that I could have been claiming child benefits for the last 4+ years! Neither my husband or I earn £50K.

I had heard of child benefit but assumed it was for jobless/low income etc.

No one has ever mentioned this to us :(

This isn’t correct. There is a box you can enter the amount of child benefit received, number of children and date it ceased. They are not mandatory to fill. The accountant most likely asked and OP truthfully said no or informed OP they’d made an assumption she wasn’t and OP didn’t say anything to the contrary.

So a bit louder for people at the back. ACCOUNTANTS AREN’T BENEFIT ADVISORS. We are not qualified to advise you on benefits. It goes beyond our area of competence. This is not the accountants fault.

Well, it's not a prize for you. It's to try and ensure that your child is provided with the bare minimum. It benefits them, not you. Hence the name. You're not supposed to just spend it on going the pub.

I've just had a baby (11days) and I already knew about CB , but not one person - hospital MW's, community MWs pre or post birth or the HV has mentioned it to us. No forms or packs from the hospital, just given the red book and that was it.

I'm lucky I knew, but there must be 000's out there who don't :(

The stats say a huge amount of money goes unclaimed in benefits each year by people who are entitled. It is awful to think so many people are not getting the support available. I think the government has little incentive to increase awareness however as it's in their interests for people not to claim!

Sorry this has happened. Are you paying for childcare and are you claiming any tax free or funded childcare you might be entitled to? That can be worth £££££££££ too!

I assume your an accountant?! I’m not sure which tax return you’ve been filling in but mine asks every year 🤷🏼‍♀️

When my daughter was born (14 years ago) everyone got given a book called Birth to Five full of parenting advice, facts, first aid information etc. There was a whole section on the various different things people can claim and/or be entitled too. Do you not get the book anymore?

Didn't your parent's get it for you?
I remember my mum getting it in the 1960s. It kept the wolf from the door.
I find it incredibly naive that you didn't know about it.
General rule for all benefits is that you don't get them backdated without exceptionally good reason.

Should my dh apply too? So he's on the system for state pension issues?

There needs to be a better system.

I suppose they’ll keep the 50k threshold and eventually it will only be low income families as incomes rise.. obviously 50k was a lot more in 2011 than it is now so every year fewer and fewer families are eligible ..

A lot of people never bother filling in the forms now and then when they need to apply for schools it’s more difficult and when the children turn 16 there will be no automatic NI number. Made sense when it was a universal benefit but now, when less people qualify each year, so much shouldn’t depend on it.

This is the book I mean. Official NHS book.
Did you not get this @cantforthelifeofme along with the Red Book?

Yup everything @Mapleapple said!! The questions isn't asked, and no we aren't benefits advisors.

Only 1 person can claim for a particular child. Or you could apply for a child each.

I’ve never heard of this book. Two kids in early primary.

@cantforthelifeofme either you or your husband can apply but only one of you will get it. The national insurance/ pension 'credits' thing is only relevant if you are not working or working very few hours (so not paying any National Insurance).

Its listed in the Bounty pack on a check list of what to do when baby is born. It included registering the birth and claiming the fresh start books.

@Wishyfishy I honestly don't know if the book is given out anymore as it was 14 years ago I got mine. My version had a different cover. The picture of the one above is the '2022' edition according to the internet though.

@FuchsAndMöhr are you completing your tax return directly with HMRC? If so I'm guessing that it must ask whether you claim CB or not to trigger further questions (I've not done one online for a long time!) but this definitely isn't reflected on the actual tax return.

Accountants use different software, the one my firm uses we only need to add the amount received, number of children and date it ceased, because these are the only things that appear on the actual tax return.

@FuchsAndMöhr take a look back at your previous tax returns and come back and tell us what box number it is that you need to tick to say you are claiming..

@FuchsAndMöhr - do you complete your tax return directly on HMRC’s website? If so you are asked as part of the scoping to give you the right pages to complete but the question is not actually on the tax return. Accountants do not use HMRC’s software.

I have a red book from this year having my DS. Still a thing.

Urgh.

You haven't missed out on much OP, it's peanuts. You can get 3 months backdated I think.

@Needmorelego you get an online link for the book now.

@roarfeckingroarr it's hardly 'peanuts'. £87 something a month for the eldest and about half that for the second one. So around £150 ish a month for both.
What world do you live in that £150 (almost £2000 a year) is peanuts 🙄

Op did you not read the online book?
www.millgatehealthcare.nhs.uk/media/content/files/Information%20leaflets%20/Birth%20to%20Five%20Book.pdf