To not declare for child benefit

[Lauren0000]

I just don't really understand what they are asking me to declare
My wage has just gone up and will be very little under or possible very little over £50k. It's different every month due to shift work so when they are asking what I will earn actually I don't know.
I've just stuck my head in the sand but I know that's probs my foolish.
My husband earns not much so it's quite frustrating to think I will lose the child benefit, considering how much I contribute tax and NI as one person.
What is they want to know? Gross pay before anything comes out?
I get expenses for fuel paid.
I have a work lease car as need it to do my job
I don't know what payments in count?
What about pension payments?
Anyone have a better idea than me please?

Op said 'lease car', I was assuming that she is NHS and paying this via salary sacrifice, therefore the car should actually help her taxable income stay under 50k?

Sorry if I've got that wrong OP!

If she's earning over 50k then she doesn't need to worry about that!
That point is only relevant for the partners of those who earn over 50k but they themselves earn under the NI threshold. They can claim CB to get their NI paid and their partners declare CB and pay it back. You only get a certain number of years though, IIRC.

I read the other day that in the lead up to the general election, there will lots of these posts 'planted' to incite aggressive discussion on policy points.

This seems to be one of them, a midnight drop and run style from the OP.

Safest way is to do a self assessment tax return, that way you will include all your income and expenses and HMRC will work out if you owe them anything, you might even find they owe you money if you have expenses to claim.

It could be, but this is very much a live issue and is affecting increasing numbers of people thanks to the combined effect of fiscal drag and inflation. It's especially significant this week, because there is a Budget and the chancellor is under pressure to address the child benefit system.

I'm not disputing it's an issue for some, I'm questioning the OPs motive.

It could be fake yep. Plenty of stuff on here obviously is. The place is riddled with trolls, and it wouldn't be the first time someone associated with a political party has started a thread on here about policy. But if this is happening in relation to the child benefit problem, that's significant in itself.

Tiny increase to pension

No - they’d be in the same position. She would have to declare that he is claiming it and she earns over £50k.

OP, you should always claim it. It carries important entitlement for future state pension rights. Claim it and deal with it via a tax return.

Eleanor Rathbone MP campaigned for over 20 years for family allowance as it was then called - and insisted it was paid to the mother. My DH gets annoyed every year that he has to do a tax return as I won’t stop claiming it - tough, it’s my right.

@LucyLaundry it's a real issue for a lot of family

If you just leave it they'll contact you when you go over. I've just cancelled our claim as my salary has gone over £50k - last year it wouldn't have done but my bonus pushed me over so I had to pay back just shy of £1500.

You'll have till Jan next year to get the money together to pay back if you need to.

I started earning 50k last year and we also receive some bonuses. I’m waiting for my P60 as I believe with my pension contributions I don’t actually go over 50k gross.

I always understood that if one (or both) of you earn over 50k it’s taxable and if one (or both) earn over 100k you don’t get it.

I think that is for tax free childcare funding, not child benefit. CB tapers out between 50 and 60k , for either's earnings. You can allow certain deductions such as employee pension contributions and charity donations. BIK are taken into account as earnings.

Yeah, the 100k and 50-60k bottlenecks are two separate ones hitting parents, relating to different entitlements.

It is also worth noting that if you are not registered for child benefit then your child will not automatically receive their NI number before their 16th birthday. They can apply for one online but it is easy to miss that they should have one if you don't know to expect to receive it. It is also addressed to the child so unless you are checking each bit of mail they get you might not realise they haven't had it.

I wonder if they've changed things in recent years.
A few years back when they first implemented this they definitely didn't send letters or let you know when you'd gone over 50k.
The first I heard of it was when a friend got hit with a fine and back payment as they'd not filled in any tax returns. We panicked, looked into it and found that we owed about 2 years worth. We contacted HMRC and paid it. Didn't get fined as we had gone to them first.

It seems they may be better at making people aware that they may need to pay it back now. Definitely be proactive though OP so you don't get hit with a fine.

You can register but opt not to get any money.

Where have I said it isn't?

I have been registered for the Government Gateway thing for a few years now which might well be an influence on this you're right. I knew I'd gone over and buried my head in the sand, I got a letter and numerous emails reminding me to do and telling me "we know it's your first time to self-assess, there's loads of help available".

I did manage to file and pay in time thank god but it was a close one, my payment was quite a bit more than expected.

a 'midnight drop and run' in tax. Fuck me, with an imagination like that you could be the next jo Rowling.

It's so confusing!!
Thanks everyone for the replies.

Does this shed any more light on it?

Put those figures into the government calculator and see what you get back as a rough idea.

Do It again when your P60 is issued next month for the actual year end figure.

Based on your payslip your taxable earnings for the year will be just over £50k - the current £47k ish plus another month's salary for March. However, without the P11D value of your company car, it's impossible to say how much you'll have to repay, and if you do overtime, the amount is likely to vary each year.

But you will be entitled to keep some, so just do a tax return when you get your P11D - this will probably be around June. It might seem a faff, but it's just a bit of admin that keeps you on the right side of HMRC so will save hassle and a potential larger bill/fines/interest if they catch up with you later. As you're employed, if you always arrange to pay back by PAYE, you'll just pay it back in small installments over the following tax year, so no lump sums to find.

Plus you never know, this is currently a political issue and might not affect you after the next budget/election because there's campaigns to make it more fair compared with two earner couples on slightly lower salaries that aren't affected despite having a much higher household income and/or increase the £50k to account for inflation.

If you will earn just over 50 you are best off claiming child benefit and then filling a tax return in - you'll have to pay around 1 months worth back but will keep most of it

Maybe worth calling HMRC and saying you would like to do that

Thanks, really helpful advice, fingers crossed it will take into account the whole household income as £50k sounds like tons, but if the other person doesn't earn/low earner it's certainly not a ton of money with the cost of everything through the roof