Can you claim child benefit if you live abroad

[Hiphopfrogger]

A friend of mine lives abroad, and has done for around 15 years. She now has a DD (she came back to the UK for the birth and stayed with her parents so the DD has a UK passport ). But it seems she’s claiming child benefit. Can you do that from abroad? She’s never worked or paid tax in this country and nor has the DDs father. Is that fraud or is it ok? Googling doesn’t seem to help!

Heavens, people are rude! No one’s going to shop anyone to the authorities. It’s just a question with an unclear answer.

And of course you can keep a UK bank account while living abroad.

Oh, I didn't.
Probably more rude to be delving into your friend's finances out of sheer nosiness (if you really don't intend on reporting) and frantically trying to 'get answers' than it is to point it out.

The problem is that our children are not sufficiently educated in economics. People seem to think that all this money comes from the government and is therefore free. Clearly coming from a magic money tree. Yes, the amount defrauded or carefully bypassed by the rich or well off is probably vastly more than that overclaimed by the poor but it still doesn't make it right.

I 'd happily pay more tax and increased benefits to help those in legitimate need but people taking the piss really annoy me.

I'd report her as it would niggle at me.

I know !
With friends like you op , who needs enemies?!
Friends are the ones where you trust each other Implicitly. You love each other. You and them to take the world on together ! Catch each other when you fall! Make allowances for each other’s failings !You don’t go googling to check they’re claiming twenty quid more than they should! Do you know what it means to be a friend to somebody? I’d honestly rather have no friends, than a friend like you.

£20 a week for 18 years is £18k. That’s a lot of money for free!

You’re not her friend.
And you’re jealous .

Free money though init?

Yeah, they wouldn't be my friend anyway as I couldn't be friends with someone I know is ripping the piss.

These are the rules: www.gov.uk/child-benefit-abroad. Why is everyone do keen to ignore benefit fraud? It is costing our country dearly. We are becoming too tolerant of reprehensible behaviour. That money could be do much better used elsewhere. Report always

Heavens, people are rude! No one’s going to shop anyone to the authorities.

If someone is claiming something they shouldn't be then I don't get why people are so against reporting them. I'd report them. I have never claimed anything I haven't been entitled to and I don't see why dishonest people should be able to.! They are scummy cheating benefit fraudsters

I'm a BC came to the UK for treatment a couple of years ago. I went to see a private consultant and was immediately referred into the NHS system.

At no point did I ever hide my situation - in fact my living overseas was related to my medical treatment and so came up repeatedly. There was never any suggestion that I pay. I have no idea whether this was compassion/lack of administrative process or simply no appetite to do so.

I wonder if the same people berating the OP for being pissed off at her friend committing benefit fraud would turn a blind eye to the person nicking their purse, or their kid's bike, or their own car.
I wouldn't shop my friend either But I'd be disgusted, and I'd start to distance myself.

The child benefit system is very flawed, even without people taking the piss. Here's an example.

Mary and John both work full time earning £45k a year each. Household income is £90k. They have 3 kids that are 14, 16 and 17. They will get £192.40 every 4 weeks in CB.

Sandra and Bob both work full time and Bob earns £60k a year and Sandra earns £18k a year. Household income is £78k a year. They have 3 kids that are 3, 7 and 10. They get nothing despite their household income being £12k a year less than Mary and John.

It's even worse in the case of SAHP. One earns £60k and the other earns nothing and they get nothing!

It's so stupid. It should be a combined household allowance of £100k whether you are a couple or single. In a case where a couple separate, one could be earning £1m a year and the other earning a low wage so the low wage earning one can claim CB as they are no longer tied which is rightly so but again, why are a family on only £60k a year which is more like £35k a year take home, the one's to miss out?

It seems married and co cohabiting couples with kids are just totally penalised when it comes to CB.

Thanks to the people who understand my point. @thecanturburywhales that’s the trouble - I find myself distancing myself because I can’t agree with her actions. To the poster who said I was jealous and ‘frantically googling’ (lol), surely you realise a question can go both ways? If I’d been told that it was unquestioningly reasonable to claim where ever you live, I would been happy, because I wouldn’t feel my friend was committing fraud. That hasn’t happened.

I think it's brilliant that we have systems in this country to protect the vulnerable. People taking the piss stops other people getting what they need. I'm sure some people here will have relatives or friends impacted by the pension changes, this is money being taken out the system that could pay for stuff like this. Or that could help with support for disabilities etc. Loads of better uses for £20 a week for people that aren't entitled to it.

WaxOnFeckOff, even if everyone was honest and claimed what they should, there's no way a tory government would put the savings to the vulnerable, just no way. They make these cuts based on them having little understanding of what it's like to be poor and in need, not to budget better because are thieving. If they really wanted to stop theft from the tax payer, they would tackle these corporate tax dodgers first but they don't.

I agree with the OP though. I find it morally wrong to claim when you shouldn't but then the whole CB system doesn't reflect people that are in 'need'. Look at my example above, a family could be earning as much as £99k a year and as long as their earnings don't exceed £50k each, they'll get it. But a family only earning £60k a year but one person in the household earning that will mean they won't get it at all. It's not a family benefit at all, it's an individual benefit really and doesn't get given out based on a families income in the slightest

Jen but this isn't about which government is in power. Do you mean it's okay to rip the piss when the Tories are in power but not when there is a left wing government? The law is the law and morals are morals. I already pointed out that more is lost from middle and upper class dodgers who work on the edge of the law as they have the resources to be able to do so and get away with it. That doesn't mean that we should just ignore everyone on a lower income.

I agree the distribution isn't fair but then our joint income is less than £60k. There was a bit o a mix up and we didn't get it paid for DS1s last year of school but we managed without so I haven't reclaimed it. I've been made redundant twice, DH has been out of work a couple of times and also stayed at home with DC for a few years but we didn't claim anything (other than CB which was automatic and also wanted DH to have the home responsibility NI credits) then either as we managed without.

For some it's a lifestyle

@Thegullfromhull -

Friends are the ones where you trust each other Implicitly. You love each other. You and them to take the world on together ! Catch each other when you fall! Make allowances for each other’s failings !

...and implicitly from what else you’ve said, friends are people who you don’t report when they are breaking the law. I’m just wondering how far that goes.... a little benefit fraud here, a touch of shoplifting there.... a bit of drug dealing (so long as it’s not class A), or sexual assault, or murder - if you knew a friend was doing these things, do you not dob them in because you’re a good friend?

I would guess you’re going to respond that serious crime is different, so of course you should. But why is it different? Benefit fraud is fraud. So is tax fraud, which admittedly is more the preserve of the wealthy. Apart from those working cash in hand and not declaring it - some of whom are committing both tax fraud and benefit fraud.

There are plenty of people who are not claiming benefits they are entitled to out of either pride or lack of awareness. There are loads who are being wrongly denied benefits to which they are entitled, and that is appalling. If there was no benefit fraud, the existing benefit budget may be able to reach more of the people who need it and are entitled to it.

No that's not what I said as I clearly went on to say that it is morally wrong. I was just making the point that whether people claimed falsely or not, it wouldn't help the vulnerable so if the OP's friend stopped claiming, it wouldn't help anyone else and it wouldn't be put to better use. It's just morally wrong when you aren't entitled to it and also illegal. If people stopped claiming falsely, they wouldn't magically give the rest of us more child benefit, they would keep it the same but on an ethical level, we would all live in a better society because everyone is claiming only what they are entitled to. So while they aren't taking anything away from anyone so to speak, they are doing everyone a disservice by breaking the law and the rules on receiving a benefit and pissing all the honest people off

I get what you are saying honestly, but that's how it should work and if the budgets are properly set and people are honest then there should be enough to give more to people who need it. But people will use your argument to justify cheating, that it doesn't effect other people, but the bigger picture is that it does. It's people cheating that makes people not want to give more and we can't have tax cuts and give people more, it's money in/money out. I honestly don't mind paying more but for many the expectation is more out than goes in and that just doesn't work. But as I say people don't always make the connection between taxes and NI and benefits. They honestly think that it's government money and not the money that their next door neighbour or uncle or friend from school are paying in.

I hear you WaxOnFeckOff. If spending goes down, say because some benefit cheats get caught, that means there's more in budget to hand out and it should be but it never is. MP's just get their salaries raised, more expenses and spending done on other shite, it's never really given to those who need it.

I live in Scotland and they started the baby box thing. To me, it's a waste of money. They give it to EVERYONE now or did. Why not just use the money to help widowed parents, single parents and disabled people with children instead? Even if it was only an extra £50 a month for a couple of years, it's better than giving people something that half the people won't use or need. It irks me that us 'the people' get no say on what anything is spent on yet we produce all the money via income tax, corporation tax, VAT, duty, NI, inheritance tax and all the other taxes! Even my bank let's me get a vote on what they spend their profits on 😂

I'm in Scotland too and couldn't agree more. The baby boxes thing is completely ill thought out. A lot of young single girls who need the money the most wouldn't put their babies in the stuff from the baby box as it's not fashionable. I know that sounds horrible and stereotyping but I see it a lot. Some of teenage DSs former classmates are already parents and that's not they stuff they want, so it's a waste, even for the people it's intended for.

The SNP is all about promises of what people are going to get and nothing about how it's going to get paid for.