To wonder if everyone uses Child Benefit/Tax Credits on their children?

[Voidka]

I have been browsing on another forum (in a section I dont normally look at) and there seems to be the thought on there that CB must be used on things that the child needs and wants, not to cover bills and household expenses.

Now I am sure this is lovely in an ideal world, but it doesnt work in practice surely?

I could give a list of items that account for cb eg

swimming lessons
nappies
baby groups
clothes for said baby

What rubbish! (Re: the statement in the OP.)

CB is there for the children's benefit, just as its name implies, to help ensure they get what they need, like healthy food, a warm house, hot bathwater, toothpaste, shoes, etc. It's not a present.

Into the pot here too, but we do save separately into an account each month too, so I suppose you could say it goes in there in a roundabout way.

It depends on finances.

We were lucky that we could afford to put DS's into a savings account for him.

Otherwise it would have been considered family money.

as everyone says money goes in a pot. it's not like we still go the post office once a week and collect it and spend it there and then. it's bank accounts and direct debits nowadays.

i think you would be hard pressed to find anyone who doesn't spend £20 a week on their child's food, clothing, school trips, etc let alone on the extra cost of basics like housing, heating, water etc.

i think if it was affordable and ds was doing a levels i'd consider giving it to him as his money to spend on lunches, activities etc but up until then it goes in the pot.

We never earmarked CB separately for anything, it just got absorbed into the general bank balance and spent as part of our overall income.

Well it just all goes into our joint account here but if anyone ever wanted to check up that we were using it "correctly" then they could take their choice from things such as the cost of their clothes, shoes, food, childcare fees, charges for clubs (rugby, swimming, beavers etc), a proportion of the heating and electricity bills etc....

The list could go on and on but unless you're claiming this money and don't have a child in the house I fail to see how you couldn't spend the money on them either directly or indirectly.

Ok, so I do put DDs CB and CTC aside in a seperate account which is held in my name on trust for her.

But I do dip into that money regularly to buy DDs nappies, clothes and shoes. Anything she needs comes from that account, including car seats - the lot. The surplus is building up savings for her.

We are not well off and regularly go without and run out of money before pay day. But in a way, having her money seperate makes things easier as it means we never have to actively budget for her needs because the money is sat there iyswim.

Reading others replies has made me think I maybe need to lighten up about this and not be so strict

Yes, it goes towards food, clothes, electric and heating for the whole house

I save mine in a savings account. Then I spend it on trips to Paris.

Seriously, I'm going to Paris in April. Child benefit rules.

It just goes into the account like everything else. Money is money, surely.

Same with DH/me - it doesn't matter which of us has the money, we just use whichever account has more in it. None of the 'your money my money' stuff.

If I could afford it then CB would be paid into their savings accounts, but needs must.

I personally spend it on cigarettes and chocolate. But then I give them to the kids. It's for their own good, if they die at 30 they won't see the tory apocalypse come to full fruition with the implosion of humanity up David Camerons putrifying (by then) arse.

Using child benefit for the running of the household, even paying for family holidays is perfectly acceptable imo. I struggle with people who put it into a seperate account and use it fo their own weekends away, or their gambling money for their annual trip to the horse races - and yes I do know people who boast about doing so. Chance would be a fine thing!

It goes in the bank, it gets spent.
Not for much longer, Cunting Cameron

Shoes, clothes and food

My sister is saving hers for ds so he can buy a car when he's 18 - I wish I had the guts to tell her to fuck the fuck off

I aim to put £60 of it in DS's savings account every month, but I have stopped feeling bad when this doesn't happen and it gets spent on general living costs instead.

When my dc were little we were fortunate enough that I could save the cb (anticipating that it might be used to help them through university or something). But I was in an abusive relationship with a man who wouldn't let me have access to any money, and in the end the saved cb fund was the lifeline for me and dc to get out. Couldn't imagine a better way for it to have been used.

It goes in the pot. Funnily enough DS costs me more than £80 a month. And will continue to do so when his CB is stopped, thanks Dave!

My cb just goes into the bank and out again Isnt that what its for familiy living which includes dd2? i do know families where the children get it to themselves everymonth ,

I just wish I was getting it. Applied last September and still havent received it. In fact when I rang trying to chase it up two weeks ago, I was told there was no record of me on the system so they are doing a search for me which can take up to 10 working days. Headmelting!!!

No it wasnt NM - it was MSE, which is usually quite a good forum (the Money bits anyway). The views on DLA and what it should be spent on are a bit odd too.

The general household budget but there only is the two of us and I can't remember the last time I bought myself some clothes and my last night out was July 2011 so the majority of it on ds - clothes, nursery fees (and every other week when they are looking money for something or other), food, shoes, heating, electricity etc.

I put it into savings account for each child