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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask why child benefits is means tested in England?Do you agree?

306 replies

ddshocker · 17/02/2022 08:55

Just that really? Why is it means tested in the U.K.? Do you think this is fair considering the financial abuse some women can be suffer even if their dh is a high learner!
In Ireland it's not means tested at all and it is double the U.K. amount...why is the U.K. so adamant in making it unfair!?

OP posts:
housinghero · 17/02/2022 08:58

No it isnt fair. The benefit is for the child - not the parents. We dont claim it anymore as we are over the 'threshold'.

Meandthesky · 17/02/2022 08:58

YABU

someone earning a six figure salary shouldn’t be entitled to benefits!

And if someone was being financially abused there’s no guarantee they would be able to keep child benefit separate anyway so it still wouldn’t help them

Bussinbussin · 17/02/2022 08:59

Unfortunately financial abusers would still easily get their hands on the money or control how it's spent.

MilkTwoSugarsThanks · 17/02/2022 09:01

Do you think this is fair considering the financial abuse some women can be suffer even if their dh is a high learner!

Lol. Like financially abused women would ever see that child benefit Hmm

IME

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 17/02/2022 09:02

The current system is unfair. We have a total household income currently of £57,000 and don't get the full amount, but households can earn £99,999 and get the full amount.

Genuinely high earners don't need it. But its middle income families missing out.

Original poster
ddshocker · 17/02/2022 09:02

The chances of them claiming it may be higher though at least...for some women it was all they had. I know it can still be taken off them. Sad

OP posts:
AchillesPoirot · 17/02/2022 09:03

England isn’t the UK. Your title is misleading.

Original poster
ddshocker · 17/02/2022 09:04

Is it not means tested In Scotland and wales then?

OP posts:
Michellexxx · 17/02/2022 09:05

@Aroundtheworldin80moves

The current system is unfair. We have a total household income currently of £57,000 and don't get the full amount, but households can earn £99,999 and get the full amount.

Genuinely high earners don't need it. But its middle income families missing out.

But the combined salary means both parents are working, so more likely to need childcare etc. the other household could earn more if the other person went out to work too. You don’t benefit from being able to afford to only have one parent out at work.
Original poster
ddshocker · 17/02/2022 09:05

High earners may not need it I agree but it's just a bit of tax back essentially isn't it...

OP posts:
BobbinHood · 17/02/2022 09:05

@Meandthesky

YABU

someone earning a six figure salary shouldn’t be entitled to benefits!

And if someone was being financially abused there’s no guarantee they would be able to keep child benefit separate anyway so it still wouldn’t help them

The threshold is £50,000, not £100,000.

Yes OP I think it’s unfair. It’s also unfair that the threshold hasn’t changed since it was first introduced, meaning many more people are now being deemed too rich for their children to be worth paying child benefit to.

makingitalladdup · 17/02/2022 09:05

I'm torn on this one TBH. We are one of those families where we each earn a bit under the threshold, meaning we can still claim CB even with a fairly good joint household income. It doesn't seem fair that others whose household income could be as much as 50k less can't claim.

And I think households with a £100k gross income probably don't need CB.

I suspect the PP who said women being financially abused may not be able to keep CB anyway is right.

Generally I think benefits should be means tested but I don't think the current CB approach is fair. It should be based on household income if parents are living together.

KosherDill · 17/02/2022 09:06

As a taxpayer i don't mind helping families in true financial insecurity but don't want to be paying my hard-earned wages so much more affluent households than mine get a cash handout merely for producing offspring.

Original poster
ddshocker · 17/02/2022 09:07

@KosherDill how much tax do you think they pay though?! Why can't you see it as then getting a bit of their own tax back?

OP posts:
KosherDill · 17/02/2022 09:07

@ddshocker

High earners may not need it I agree but it's just a bit of tax back essentially isn't it...

But it comes back at the expense of other taxpayers.

Shamoo · 17/02/2022 09:09

We are high earners and I think it’s fair we can’t get it. We don’t need it, and I would prefer it went to people who do. But that doesn’t mean the current process is fair, and I think it should be based on household income in total.

Comedycook · 17/02/2022 09:10

It shouldn't be means tested. Changing it so that some people didn't get it was a petty move imo.

MilkTwoSugarsThanks · 17/02/2022 09:10

Tbh I do think anyone with a household income of £57K needing child benefit is a bit of a piss take...

Simonjt · 17/02/2022 09:10

I thought it was just means tested in England?

We can’t claim it, we don’t need it, if someone on a household income of £50k struggles to lose such a small amount of money they will be mismanaging their finances.

Although I am curious as to how much money the new system actually saves the government.

Original poster
ddshocker · 17/02/2022 09:10

@KosherDill but everything is fine at the taxpayers expense and they are after all...tax payers!

OP posts:
Akire · 17/02/2022 09:11

It’s £50,000 each so yes could have home where each earn £50,000 and still get. But £50,000 starts the tail off.

I’m more worried that if you on low wage Universal Credit gives you nothing for a 3rd child unless a multiple birth or a rape. But nobody every on here complaining about that. I mean nobody thinks having 10 plus kids on benefits is a great idea but stopping at 2 isn’t exactly loads. Plus if the children has already been born while you in a good job then through health say you need benefits you will always be unable met your families needs.

shouldistop · 17/02/2022 09:12

Means testing might be fair but the current method isn't.

A couple earning £49k each so £98k can claim it and not pay any back but a couple earning £51k and £10k for example can't.

shouldistop · 17/02/2022 09:13

It's means tested in Scotland

DaffodilDandilion · 17/02/2022 09:16

I know of a few families with reasonable earners who don’t need the child benefit and just put it into a savings account every month. I can see why they’ve tried to means test it because I don’t think the government should be funding a savings account for someone’s first car or whatever. I think the current system of means testing is wrong though and penalises single parents.

ohhooh · 17/02/2022 09:16

@KosherDill

As a taxpayer i don't mind helping families in true financial insecurity but don't want to be paying my hard-earned wages so much more affluent households than mine get a cash handout merely for producing offspring.
But those high earning households will be paying more tax than you, so why would you think it'll be your tax paying supporting them if they got child benefit? Surely it'd be their own tax.