Astounded that this is actually legal

[movingthemountains]

A friend of mine has 4 children, 1 with her ex partner from years ago and 3 with her husband. They have been separated for a year and plan to divorce eventually. He moved out of their rental property and now lives with his mum. He doesn’t work, never has really, apart from the odd job here and then over the years but it’s never lasted. She works part time, 2 days a week. They share the kids 50/50 and it’s all amicable.

Due to the two child benefit cap, which applies since the youngest 2,were born after 2017, they are unable to claim for all 4 kids simultaneously. As a result, they each claim benefits for 2 kids instead.
He receives between £900-£1000, a substantial amount considering he has no rent or bills to cover. It’s wild that they can pull this off, but if they were living together, it wouldn’t be possible.

AIBU to feel shocked by this?

Additionally, before anyone suggests that this is just a bait (generally how these threads go), friends do talk, you know!

@Sueyshi typical response on here. How do you think I knew this information in the first place?

apologies @Sueyshi my last comment was aimed at@Smallmercies

Are you suggesting that people without the means to support their children should be sterilised, or that children born to parents who can't afford to keep them should go without food and clothes? Because those appear to be the only alternatives if we are to stop paying. I find people are very quick to say what shouldn't be the case, but are never that forthcoming about what should.

I’m not suggesting it. It’s a bad idea for everyone. But where it happens, the kids shouldn’t be punished by having Child Benefit taken away.

There is no cap on child benefit (apart from means-testing above a certain salary). You mean the child element of UC, for which there IS a two-child cap.

The money is to raise children, house, clothe and feed them--the children are innocent in all of this.

4.5 million children are in poverty across the UK. That’s 31% of all children. In the ten years between 2012/13 and 2023/24, the number of children in poverty rose by 800,000 (from 27% to 31%).

https://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/blog/where-is-child-poverty-increasing-in-the-uk/

It does. When the eldest is too old to be claimed for, the next-youngest can be claimed for.

@5128gap clearly not. It’s not the children’s fault. However, this isn’t a situation where someone can’t work due to a disability, health problems, mental health challenges or tough circumstances. This person is simply unmotivated and unwilling to put in the effort and would rather live off the government. This has been true even before they became parents. It’s a completely different scenario.

There's a lot of things people become eligible for when they seperate thay they wouldn't get as a couple, UC housing costs for two homes not one, the right to claim benefits without the other person's income being taken into account for example. When you are no longer part of a couple you are no longer assessed as if you were, obviously. Not sure why you think this particular example is a 'loop hole' when it's simply part of a pattern for how entitlement is assessed.

Your OP starts like you want to talk about the child benefit, but really this is a thread to give people the opportunity to benefit bash your friend's ex husband.
What is your real agenda here?

I assume that child is on the mothers claim then ?

good luck to them I say it’s shows a level of intelligence and sounds legal so I hope it works out for them. It’s hard enough to get by now and if this helps one family then that’s great. Maybe others will do the same. The 2 child UC limit is ridiculous.

the whole benefits system is a joke

sadly open easily to fraud and then too often closed off to people who report in honestly

I earn more than average and I know people who are in receipt of more than I take home every month. I know because I completed the forms with them

yet people will claim this isn't the case, it absolutely is for far too many who really should not be entitled to all the benefits they are in receipt of

The cost to the nhs for sterilisation would be a lot more than the cost of paying child element for additional children .

Yes, and that's incredibly unpublic spirited of him. However, my question remains, what do you suggest is done that won't negatively impact the children?

Knew this would be yet another goady benefits-bashing thread, before I even clicked on it.

This place is getting boring...

@5128gap because he doesn’t have any housing costs. He lives rent free with his mother and doesn’t contribute to any of the bills, yet receives a substantial amount from UC.

@XenoBitch how so? I’m just answering people’s questions?!

Indeed. And poverty costs the tax payer more again. Far cheaper to give people the money they need to keep their children fed and healthy than deal with the much greater costs down the line if they can't afford to do so.

I think its bonkers that there is cap in the first place. So many children in the UK living in awful poverty. If it stops these children from living in poverty then it's money we'll spent.

@HRTQueen I agree. I’m not sure why people on here refuse to believe that I’m telling the truth. There’s no need for me to lie.

People who can't support their own households shouldn't be thoughtlessly pumping out offspring.

I truly feel it's antisocial and unethical to produce offspring with more than one partner. For myriad reasons. I know that is not a popular view here but there really is no excuse. "We wanted one of our own" tripe notwithstanding. We can't always get what we want.

Massive corporations aren’t paying millions in tax. Millionaires and billionaires find loopholes in tax rules that save them huge amounts of money. If normal people want to legally get themselves an extra £900 a month and can spend more time with their kids (which benefits us all if they’re raised well) rather than work a thankless job, personally I don’t give a shit. if I care at all it’s only because I’m jealous because I too would like to be able to pay my bills and work less

Disgusted by the outrage on here over a £1000 a month. Look at what Keir Starmer and his cabinet awarded themselves in pay rise last month*. I expect an MPs meal expenses bill equals this amount some months. Direct your fury elsewhere and actually do some good.

*and same would have happened if Tories still in

@Starfishfriend what if everyone thought like that though? Who would foot the bill then?

Hear! Hear!