To ask what you do with child benefit

[Gemma273]

Basically this.. so I've always since my DC has been born split it in half, half into savings account for DC, half into our account to cover clothes, shoes, activities etc for DC. This discussion recently came up at a toddler group I go to and everyone said they put it into savings and now I feel guilty that I split it.

So what do you do?

It's only about £10 a week isn't it? Pretty normal teenage pocket money surely.

I’m surprised people still get it on MN with all the 6 figure salaries mentioned!

For me it’s an outdated historical benefit that should only be paid to those in need of it, much like the winter fuel allowance. Benefits shouldn’t be for saving!

Even more so, I find it bizarre that someone earning £60k as an individual and possibly the only household income won’t get it but couples earning £50k each do. Mad.

It get absorbed into the household income and outgoings.

Eeeep we don’t get any as much husband earns too much - but if we had it we’d need it to pay for normal day to day things - bills / food as we literally don’t have any spare money at the moment. So yeah could do with it tbh 😂😂

Goes into the family money like everything else

When we received it, it was part of the household budget.
Things like heating, food, clothes and school shoes etc.

If that many people are saving it, the system needs a major overhaul. I am not sure why people think "the public purse" should be giving savings to so many children, when there are so many families having to use food banks and being unable to put the heating on.

Goes into the kids savings but if we needed to use it for anything they needed I would take it back out.

I use it on whatever the kids need that month, so bibs, shoes, new hair clips, pyjamas etc. If there is nothing in particular that they need then I use it to pay for cinema and softplay. I don't save it, it gets used on them. I put money into their savings from my own wages.

The kids’ activities like swimming lessons

😂

Must be great to not actually need child benefit!

This exact title comes up on here every month or so. Just search instead of starting a new thread.

My dd is now 14, half into savings and she gets half to buy none school clothes, makeup, gifts for friends etc

I borrow it as an interest free loan from the government & then pay it to HMRC each Jan when I do my tax return.

@Raow
I’m surprised people still get it on MN with all the 6 figure salaries mentioned!

Me too

Goes into the bank and towards household costs. Can't afford to save it for anything specific as I need it to use.

Beer and fags

😀

Goes towards his childcare costs and we make up the rest.
When we have no childcare to pay (years down the line) we will probably save it.. Or spend it on petrol .. who knows. Don’t plan on saving it for a while

😂

Pocket money. My mum used to give me the family allowance in sixth form so I do the same. When they were younger I kept it separate to save up for things like birthdays, Christmas, school uniform, car MOT etc - day to day parenting costs that are inflated at certain times of year and it’s handy to have a couple of hundred to top up.

We saved it. We don't get it anymore so now save the equivalent amount for DD.

Honestly I think putting money into a bank account for when they're adults is a bit daft. 3k these days you could get a 2nd/3rd hand car and years insurance. 3k in 15 years time will be an annual bus pass 😂

Just spend it on them now.

Use it to pay for things my DC needs - that's what it's for surely!

I have a claim for National Insurance purposes but I opt out of receiving it because it would all get clawed back in tax. If I did receive it, I'd have to save it to pay it back later. If it wouldn't be clawed back I'd spend it on the kids.

The way I see it, though some people choose to save it for their kids, it isn't for saving. It's supposed to be to help toward the costs of the kids so I wouldn't feel guilty spending it if I were you provided it is on them. And I think household costs which are beyond those you'd expect if you didn't have kids also fall within that.