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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To ask how many of you know about the Child Benefit Charge?

380 replies

Ballstothisdotcom · 11/02/2020 15:18

I had to repay over £6k a couple of years ago. Had to get out a loan to do it. The children were mine and not my husbands and I had always claimed as a single parent so just didn’t stop.

Have just read daily mail sad face story about this happening to another family.

My sister and her husband have always claimed it. They have never had it questioned. I just wonder if HMRC are blanket mail sending and hoping people will be honest.

I genuinely had no idea about it until we got the letter. It also seems grossly unfair that two people can earn £49999 per year but if one person goes over it you have to repay it. In our case it was my husband who went over the threshold just slightly so we had to pay back from the day we moved in together.

Any one else?

OP posts:

iolaus · 11/02/2020 15:20

Not till I got the letter - I do vaguely remember something ages ago - but I was well away from that - and did a lot of overtime last year which took me over

Hingeandbracket · 11/02/2020 15:21

Yes I know about it. Stopped claiming. It was well publicised at the time. I agree about the 2 people unfairness.

LoisLittsLover · 11/02/2020 15:24

When I applied , one of the questions made this very clear. Dd is 5, so this wording might be a relatively recent change. I agree it's stupid though, along with not being able to access tax free childcare or funded 30 hours once you or your partner earn over a certain amount, rather than considering joint income

Original poster

Ballstothisdotcom · 11/02/2020 15:24

I’ve just looked and it came in 2013 so I was oblivious to it at the time. When I called HMRC re updating my address when we moved in together, I don’t think I was asked.

OP posts:

RhymingRabbit3 · 11/02/2020 15:25

I agree that it is unfair that the household income could be £98k and still get it whereas another household income could be £50k and not get it.
However that is the rule and its quite clear on the paperwork so it is your responsibility to check.

FizzyIce · 11/02/2020 15:26

We knew , didn’t really think about it again until my friend told me they’d had a huge tax bill for nearly 10 grand or there abouts .

Aureum · 11/02/2020 15:28

is unfair that the household income could be £98k and still get it whereas another household income could be £50k and not get it
It’s ridiculous and unfair. MN should have a campaign to get this changed!

Original poster

Ballstothisdotcom · 11/02/2020 15:29

Our annual income is now much lower than the £50k due to redundancy, so I can claim it again. But having to also pay £125 a month for next five years as worked out cheaper to get a loan than to try and put in on credit cards or have them try and claw it back through tax.

OP posts:

gamerchick · 11/02/2020 15:30

This was so well publicised at the time it would gobsmack me if nobody knows
I genuinely had no idea about it until we got the letter. It also seems grossly unfair that two people can earn £49999 per year

This same complaint was in the press as well as a zillion threads on here.

PooWillyBumBum · 11/02/2020 15:34

I thought it was quite well publicised at the time. As soon as DH went over the threshold I rang them up.

I was under the impression that you’d only have to pay everything back if you earned over £60k after pension contributions, otherwise you’d have to file self assessment and repay a proportion (e.g. half for £55k earnings). If this is the case it will have little effect on those earning £51k, apart from a 10 min exercise to file online what was earned. We haven’t claimed in years, so I may be way off.

Vintagehearts · 11/02/2020 15:35

It works that way to any couple who live together regarding benefits whether the dc are joint dc or not.

I'm guessing it's because when you live together as a couple, married or unmarried, you have two incomes or two potential incomes coming in. It doesn't matter if only one of you are the dcs parent, you are still seen as a couple so child benefit/any benefits reflects that. You aren't single if you're married/living together so you can't claim to be even if the dc are only yours.

theneverendinglaundry · 11/02/2020 15:40

It makes my blood boil that two people can earn £49,999 each and not have to pay back a penny, but one person going over has to pay back.

We currently get £100 a month docked out of DH's wages because of the 'high income' charge. Things are really tight as it is. Some people will say DH is a high earner but when there's only 1 income coming in, and rent plus council tax is £1500 a month, we really aren't left with an awful lot.

Blackandgreenteas · 11/02/2020 15:40

I think it’s well publicised, so voted YABU.

That’s not to say I don’t consider it unfair. As you say, two parents can each earn £49999 and remain unaffected.

However, I earn £52k, claim mine and had to pay a very minimal amount back last year because of my pension contributions.

Strugglingtoquit · 11/02/2020 15:42

I’m well aware and I don’t have kids or earn over £50k!

MotherWol · 11/02/2020 15:44

It's worth looking at whether you can increase your pension contributions to bring your adjusted net income below the threshold.

PicaK · 11/02/2020 15:49

It's deeply unfair but it was incredibly well publicised.

PureAlchemy · 11/02/2020 15:51

It was well publicised when the change came in.

We even got a letter in the post about it (possibly just addressed to DH as he was earning over the threshold at the time).

And the child benefit form for my DC born after the changes had a bit in the notes explaining about the high income charges.

Wannabegreenfingers · 11/02/2020 15:52

I knew from when this was first introduced, so stopped claiming for my eldest and never claimed for the 2nd. I find it hard that people didn't know as there was plenty of communications sent at the time.

Herringbone31 · 11/02/2020 15:56

@theneverendinglaundry

If your husband earns 51000. That’s £3100. With £1500 taken off that leaves you with £1600

That’s much more than most.

Herringbone31 · 11/02/2020 15:56

I’ve never claimed it. As my husband has always earned over

However the lady told me that if I didn’t even apply for it. My daughter wouldn’t be given a national insurance card on her 16th

x2boys · 11/02/2020 15:58

This has been the rule for quite a few years now surely whilst it's not fair it's not been under publicised ,plus the ,many many threads about it on here.

arethereanyleftatall · 11/02/2020 16:00

I'm sorry but I have absolutely no idea how anyone could have missed this.

HairyFloppins · 11/02/2020 16:03

Yes I had read about it somewhere so luckily we were aware. My DH has to do a tax return each year. Not so much now as we only claim for one. Lots of DH's work colleagues got caught out though so I don't think it was very heavily publicised. I think it is a very unfair system.

zzzzzzzx · 11/02/2020 16:05

We claim it and put it in a separate account to pay back.

babysnowman · 11/02/2020 16:05

Can anyone clarify:

Neither of us earn over £50k so we claim CB.

But, if one of us does earn over that in the future would we have to pay back everything we've ever claimed?? Or, would we just have to notify them at such time (if it ever comes!!) and stop claiming?

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