to think if they are taking MY child benefit away the letter should come to ME?

[PanicMode]

I don't want to start another debate about the fact CB is going - it IS going to hurt us as we have four children, but we'll have to live without it!

However, I am so cross that although the CB comes directly to me, the letter has gone to my husband. AIBU to feel as though the Govt have turned 50 years of feminism on its head and turned me back into a chattel?!

No idea. He didn't even know we claimed CB.

On a separate point (which someone has made), it seems inherently wrong that I can choose to take an action (I.e continue to claim) which will impact DH's tax affairs.

I think someone else already made the point that couples are NOT financially independant at the lower end of the scale. Income support/JSA/student bursaries (grants in the old days), all of these assess the joint income even if only one person claims.

The only people who got the illusion of being financially independant were those earning a decent living. And now many of us get to be in the same boat as those other people. (Well, we don't yet, but that kind of pay rise is a vague possibility one day in the far future and a pleasant day dream in the mean time.)

I don't think it can be said that the letting going to OPs husband is sexist or a feminist issue unless the same process does not apply when the opposite is the case, but it does. I am the high earner (feimale) my DP is a SAHD, he claims the CB to protect his pension, I go the letter because it's me who will pay it back through additional tax. My tax affairs= letter addressed to me. We have afterall been taxed on an individual basis in this country for many years, this shouldn't be a surprise.

*female

I'm obviously in the minority of women on here who think that it's now ok that the independence that women fought so hard for, in terms of their own tax affairs, has now been lost again.....

But its not your tax affairs is it? If you earned over 50k you would have got a letter. Obviously your dh does, so he has got a letter about how it will affect his taxes

What bit about that is hard to understand?

I earn the most in our house so let's see if I get the letter. I also claim CB.

However, my salary goes up so it's over the £50k in January. So will I get a letter then or will it be up to me to tell HMRC?

suchnonsense does your OH also earn around or over 50k even though you are the higher earner?

But how would that make a difference? Aparently the letter goes to the higher earning of the two

wow im confused.

So if one person works and earns £12k pa and the other nothing do they still get cb and ni contradutions or do they have to do a sa form? Or are they not affected?

I believe you'll only have to do the form if you are losing it/part of it. But that is going to be a huge admin burden in itself

My understanding was it went to anyone in a household claiming CB earning over the threshold therefore suchnonsense would be likely to recieve another for her. Happy to be told I'm wrong if I am though.

What if you have savings of a million and dont work but claim cb?

Iggy as I understand it it is only when it goes over 50000 after pension, childcare vouchers etc are deducted from your salary, so it is the net taxable pay. If you are close to the limits it might be worth you paying more into pension/dropping hours/ taking a week's unpaid leave etc if possible. That way you delay the time when you have to face all the hassle of tax returns etc.

I thince it's taxable income rather than earnings so if interest on the savings was over the threshold they couldn't claim or would have to pay it back. Very good point though.

Ok thanks. DH did earn over £50k in the year gross but has gone down recently. I'm finding it confusing and I'm a bloody accountant!

*thince? wtf!! I meant 'think' obviously

I earn more than DH, we are both over threshold but it still came to HIM.

And I'm planning to take unpaid leave later so it'll all work out thankfully!

but how would they know you have savings?

Ken - that's pretty shocking!

HMRC tax interest at source

Sorry - missed a bit as am at work.

In answer to questions, and similar to Ken yes, we both earn over the threshold. I am the higher earner, I claim the CB, I HAVEN'T received a letter, but DH has. This led to an extraordinary conversation with my FIL who is staying with us at the moment, who couldn't wrap his head around the fact that a wife could earn more than her husband, but that's a whole other thread...

I guess it's possible that my letter has been lost in the post.

However, even for those households with SAHMs claiming CB, I'd have thought that as a matter of courtesy it would be a good idea to let these claimants know what's going on.

The letters should be going to anyone who earns over £50k in a household where CB is claimed

If you don't earn over £50k you won't be getting a letter because your tax is not affected.

Where people are saying they both earn over £50k yet only the DH has the letter I can only assume they have written to one person before the other and the letter for the other party will arrive

Otherwise they have royally cocked up somewhere........

Perhaps if you earn over 50k and you claim CB there is a different letter. Perhaps they send one to the non-cb claimant as they would need to declare if they live with a cb claimant? Where as if you are receiving the benefit and are a higher earner, they already know that.

The whole thing is going to be a massive shambles and will cost more to administer than they will save.

Yeah there may be two letters. But I'm going to wait until the deadline and not let DH do the link til it arrives. Fuckers (for the shambles)