Benefits

[Charlieandthechocolatecake]

Posting here for traffic, my sincere apologies!

I'm not a "scrounger' as a friend of mine has suggested. No bashing please!

DP has been offered a job, 55k pa.

I claim child benefit, it's not needed but from all the research I've done it's recommended to still claim it for national insurance/ state pension purposes etc.

CB goes into my account. If DP takes this job I will still claim for it for the above reasons. I'm aware that I'd still get the full amount but that some of it needs to be paid back.

I'm assuming the CB people won't write to us to tell us how to go about this so I'm not sure what to do?

Again, this isn't about me wanting whatever I can get from tax payers! I just need to know what to do. FWIW I earn £25k pa and we get CB for our 2 DS's

I dont think its scroungy....just replying to say that really. State pensions important
I would ring child benefit

I've just read the post back to myself and it sounds like I'm after whatever I can get. That's not the case at all. We're both tax payers and work hard.

The CB is not needed, that said, it's a nice too up that I believe benefits us for the future re state pensions and national insurance numbers for the boys.

I'm happy to be told otherwise!

If he is paying into a pension scheme chances are his pay for cb purposes will be closer to or just below 50k. Even if you opt out of payments you get ni credits once you registered.

Thanks Surf, it never occurred to me to call CB. I work nights so my head is generally fuzzled with these things during the day!

CB used to be paid to all mothers regardless of their partners income, because it used to be recognised that many men were financially abusive.

Tell your 'friend' that making it means tested has enabled financially abusive men. See how she justifies that.

If you ring the CB people they are pretty helpful.
www.gov.uk/child-benefit-tax-charge

He registers for self assessment and each year does a self assessment tax return which will tell him how much he needs to pay back

www.gov.uk/child-benefit-tax-charge/pay-the-charge tells you what to do on this page

he will need to pay a portion back- and no you dont sound like a scrounger at all! Government has made it so that a benefit everyone used to get is now means tested - in a ridiculous way, individual earning over 50K rather than household income, (thus demonising anyone who in receipt of it!). They also make it complicated with this pay back scheme, I assume in the hope of throwing hefty fines at people.

TheInebriati my friend claims other benefits as she's not in work. She said it's selfish of me to claim CB when we don't need it.

I did try to explain that we claim it for purposes other than the money itself but that was lost on her.

I'm sympathetic to her case as her DP IS financially abusive. That said, she believes she'd get more financial help if people like us didn't claim for money they didn't need. I see her point.

Thanks dementedpixie, I'll have a look now!

If you’re earning as well then you don’t need to claim it. It’s only mentioned that you ‘should’ for NI purposes if you’re not working.

Not that they’ll help you out, I called with a similar query and was told I would have to speak to an IFA about it.

You're entitled to it so I'd claim it regardless of what anyone else says. If you earn £50-£60k then it's worth claiming as you don't pay it all back. If earning over £60k then you can claim it but opt out of payment

Screw that! My partner and I earn better than average money each but we’re certainly not rolling in it, I claim my CB for my little boy because why shouldn’t I? I have worked and paid tax and NI and the 80odd £ a month actually goes towards the huge childcare bill I have to pay in order to stay in employment full time to be able to earn a living and not claim further benefits.
Your friend is a cheeky cow commenting on your financial situation anyway.

she believes she'd get more financial help if people like us didn't claim for money they didn't need.

Well no, she's wrong, it isn't a competition. Everyone is entitled to what they are entitled to. If you are paid less it doesn't mean she would be paid more.
Plus theres a huge pot in unclaimed benefits.

Not true that she would get more benefits if other people didn’t claim - why would it? Doesn’t work like that, the benefit system is there to help people who genuinely cannot work for whatever reason that may be, unless she is in a position where it is impossible for her to work (disability / full time carer for child etc) then her entitlement will always be capped so that the incentive is to go back to employment and not rely on welfare.

I think you will be written to, we were, the machine is strangely efficient when it comes to making sure we only receive exactly what’s due

If not, just give the child benefit people a ring, I always found them and the tax office really helpful.

I can't see any reason for you to claim it. If there was any purpose then sure, claim, but otherwise I wouldn't bother.

Why shouldn't she claim if she is entitled to it?

As PP said your DH (if he is indeed over the threshold) will have to do a self assessment for tax purposes and the overpayment of CB (if any) will be deducted via his tax code. It helps to protect your NI contributions (for a period of twelve years from the birth of your child) in the event that you are not working so it’s worth doing it this way. You’re not going to be gaining anything you are not entitled to so no scrounging involved.

I wouldn't rely on them writing to you. There have been previous threads where people have owed thousands of pounds as they didn't realise they had to pay any back

Just claim it as normal, your DH puts it on his self assessment. He can pay it back or get a change in tax code to pay it back via PAYE.

It's net of pension contributions so a good chance you won't actually hit 50k and if he does he need to register for self assessment for higher earners so they can claw back any money owed off his tax code. I did cancel mine but later realised due to pension we were in mid 50's rather than over 60 - government won there!

Thanks for all of your advice so far, it's a bit mixed!

I believe we should still claim it for state pension and national insurance purposes. I understand the amount would be lower the more DP earns.

**Grumpos my friend was a colleague of mine previously. Her DP is not registered at her home so she recieves full benefits. I completely understand why she does this due to him being financially abusive in regards to his own income (she sees none of it) but I'm a tad annoyed that she's happy to criticise my family's financials when she knows she's committing benefit fraud. Again, I understand why she does and maybe I'd do the same in her situation, who knows. I have no plan to report her, before anybody asks.

I just don't understand why she thinks I still claim CB as in her words 'thats taking food out of my children's mouths'.

I've been very supportive of her financially with money when she's short, gifts etc.

I’m afraid Op you’re not entitled to actually keep the CB

But absolutely claim it for pension purposes

And then it will be taken off dh’s salary

I mean when he fills in tax.

But absolutely claim. Just don’t spend as you can’t keep!

DP pays £500 a month into his pension but would certainly up that amount if he took this job.