Advice pls on CHB

[fedupmumof2]

when my eldest was born we were told by a worker in childrens centre about flaming child benefit and how we should apply for it soon. I told DH and I applied. As he was the higher earner it had to be gone on his account. I don’t remember every detail but I remember phoning up the advice line and going ahead with it. Every month we got £86 pounds. Not week, every MONTH. I assumed everyone was entitled to it as I was led to believe. At no point did DH get involved or talk me out if it when he knew what I was doing.

2021 we got a letter saying as DH is a high earner CHB will be stopped which it did and not to do anything as there’s a court case going on for everyone for judge to decide what happens (I’m sorry I don’t remember all the details as every letter was addressed to him and he doesn’t like me opening his letters).

long story short we were told to pay back £6000 plus penalties. DH just wanted to bury his head in the sand as usual and not deal. Every time I phoned up inland revenue they refused to talk to me as it’s under his name. The days he did with from home I called up inland revenue and asked him to verify me but he couldn’t on all occasions as he was in a call. If you’ve been on phone to IR you know how long you have to wait so I could not predict at whst time he needs to verify.

I left it to him to sort out. I have young kids and I work so I left it to him.

this weekend he’s been in a huff and on Saturday morning shouting st me to “fucking sort it out”. IR will not speak to me only him I don’t know how to sort out.

kids planned Father’s Day for him today and we were supposed to go to breakfast but he’s in bed telling me he’s fed up and to go to hell and he don’t speak to me. What shall I do?

.claiming not flaiming!

There is nothing you can do. He needs to call and speak to them.
I am the higher earner, my husband claims it. I pay it back annually via my tax code. It’s not my husbands problem it’s my problem.

Let him get on with it.

If you can be arsed ask him how you should sort it out. But personally I’d leave him to sulk and go for breakfast without him.

@Mongoosesorry thank you. Mentally I’m not in the right frame of mind so not able to think clearly. I’m highly depressed so I’m doubting if there is anything I can do to make me feel less anxious. He was crying about it last night which makes me feel really bad as I shouldn’t have applied.

our marriage is on the rocks and I think this will be the final straw. The house and everything else is in his name.

Tell him to grow up and fucking sort it himself.

Doesn't matter if it's in his name. Starting point is 50/50.
He sounds like a miserable bastard anyway so just take kids and go for breakfast.

Hello,

Yeh high income earners are not really entitled but most apply for the national insurance credits they get, as if you do apply you can choose to either opt out of the weekly payment and still get the NI credits or get the weekly payment but then pay a yearly tax charge. There used to be a tv ad about this and a few posters around. I think is best to be honest with the inland rev (that you didn't know), so if you can repay the debt in instalments if need be. Hopefully your husband will calm down once a solution is in place. I know the way he is treating you is not nice, and im sorry your experiencing this, but equally I can imagine that a big tax debt in his name would be anxiety provoking.

I've added a Stepchange tax debt link that has a bit of info. Hope you get things sorted 🤞🏽

www.stepchange.org/debt-info/business-debts.aspx#:~:text=You%20can%20call%20HMRC%20on,next%20tax%20bill%20is%20due.

When did you start claiming it, and for how many children? You call yourself fedupmumof2 but that amount of £86 a month is for 1 child. (not sure why you make such a big deal of it being per month not per week?) Was it before or after Jan 2013 when the charge for higher earners was brought in?

At what point did he start to earn over £50K per year? (the start point for gradually losing the CB payment, subject to some allowances like pension) - was that in 2021?

It’s all very well people saying it’s his problem as it’s in his name (which it didn’t need to be) but you’re the one who decided to apply for it, even if you did put it his his name. However, given you’ve tried to call HMRC, you’ve discharged your responsibility there.

@Sweetsweetlike thank you so much. I’ll take a read

@Testina only claimed for eldest. Didn’t apply for 2nd one. From 2016-2021

Apologies, I didn't address the fact that he won't give permission for you to speak. In that case I'd just say to him that unless he permits you speak (data protection and all that) then he can't have any expectations of you to resolve anything, and just leave it as that. Yes he will be upset, but you literally can't make the 'impossible' happen.

It was actually quite an odd decision to put it in his name… it’s usually in the name of the lower earner to protect their NI record. You only get NI credit as a low/non earner if it’s in your name. Have you spent any of these years not working? Because you may want to look at making the NI back payment for some years.

Are you working now, and if not do you have a child under 12? If it’s no and yes, you need to re-instate the claim but tick the box for no payment. That way you get the NI credit without the step of having to pay back money you’re not entitled to.

@Testina no I wanted to apply for it so intended in my name. But the advice line said the HIGHER EARNER needs to apply for it so this was my husband. I told him about it and then applied once he said okay. I needed all his details so he gave them to me himself.

Why didn’t you claim for the second one? Odd decision.

In 2016, the claim paperwork was very clear about the charge for higher earners, because the rules changed in 2013.

Your advice from HMRC was correct though - everyone is entitled to claim, regardless of income. For some people that makes sense to still claim - as I explained in my post above, it preserves the NI record for a non-earning parent even if there’s a high household income.

If I’m honest I don’t know why I didn’t apply for second one. He’s 3 now.

I expect you misunderstood them. If you take the most clearcut example - one earning nothing, the other earning £80K - then then either can claim. It should be the non earner, for the NI credit. But whoever claims it, is has to be the higher earner in that case who repays it via their tax self assessment.

I can see why he’s angry - from his point of view, he now owes £6K because in his eyes, you made the mistake. However, he’s lost any moral position now for not sorting it out, and shouting at you.

So when did he start earning over £50K?
I’ve got a feeling you’re going to say already in 2016 when you first claimed - as that would explain the call with HMRC saying he’d be responsible for repayment via self assessment.

I'd say its both your responsibility to check what you are entitled to and to pay it back. He's being a arse tho

Why not write to them and explain the situation that your husband will not engage with them by phone, and ask how you can proceed to discuss repayment yourself? Include a letter from him asking them to deal with you.

That’s a good idea.

So when did he start to earn over £50K?
If you only started claiming in 2016 but owe £6K, sounds like you were always subject to the charge?