Have I committed fraud?

[Boxedin2431]

I am a single mum to three.

I have a UC review and bank statements are due.
I have three bank accounts and two I have not declared.
The two bank accounts I have not declared get child maintenance paid in from my children’s dads, respectively.
I have not had any other income apart from the maintenance and some help from my dad sometimes.
i transfer money between all three.
Two bank accounts are in my birth name, the third is in my middle name.

Am I in trouble when I declare them?

I only have UC, child benefit into the one I have declared.
i have child maintenance into one bank account and another child maintenance into the other bank account.

Shall I include 6 month statement for all three?

It’s just about declaring accounts. Some things are a disregard, but they need to establish that.

If you’re asking for any sort of means tested top ups, then they want to know it all. 🤷‍♀️

Can I draw the thread's attention (again!!) to the Child Support Agency SNAFU.

He doesn't give her money regularly. OP wrote: "and some help from my dad sometimes." This is perfectly acceptable so long as that help didn't put the amount in those accounts above £6k (the first savings threshold for means-tested benefits). As I said, you don't know what you're talking about.

Why did the housing minister mot ...or indeed NOT AWARE of her obligations of a second home....remember the title...
HOUSING MINISTER...how do people feel aboutvthat?....no criminal investigation or sanction of salary...
Saying this to this lady will undoubtedly frighten her and cause her a great deal of stress....As previously stated...its not income...probably for all she gets...hence shes not a criminal

Where? I've read all of OP's posts and whilst she mentions a couple of times her "children's dads" she doesn't mention having a husband (and in her first post says she's a single mum).

in which case there is zero harm in declaring all income in that respect

Exactly. @Maddyisqueen simply made that up. 🙄

fraud requires INTENT
if OP has bank accounts only receiving funds which are disregarded there is no intent to defraud
I am the first one to disagree with the way the benefits system is not set up to focus on those really in need
but the current rules do not support the OP committing fraud, she hasn’t. She has not deliberately concealed bank accounts with savings/ in scope income in order to receive benefits

I was describing the principle of the qualification rules, it doesn’t matter that they wouldn’t, the UC requirements would disregard that income as long as it was not saved above the threshold

Just leave it op. You must surely have known that writing on here about this would create a huge drama. You haven't done anything wrong and you're not hiding money so no-one will care.

Only 3 pages in, so I don’t know if it’s been mentioned after that (won’t hurt to mention it again anyway), but a bill was passed by royal assent last week. It’s the Fraud error and recovery bill (fear bill for short), and included in it is that the bank accounts of every single one of us (on benefits or not) are now visible to hmrc, dwp etc any time they want, the banks have to give them access, and they do not have to inform us.
There is no hiding anything electronically any more. They have a system called “connect” which scans bank accounts and flags anything that doesn’t match your personal situation. So if you are on benefits and have any other payments going in from non disclosed sources, instant flag, and investigation triggered. Work for an employer but have any other regular payments going in, flagged and investigation triggered. Sole trader and bank income doesn’t match tax return, flagged etc etc.
It also scans your social media to see if there are any “lifestyle” mismatches, on benefits but posting from luxury holidays abroad or have a brand new car, or Rolex etc…flagged.
they are also linked with Vinted, Etsy eBay etc to crackdown on reseller side hustling.
So they already know about the accounts OP, and are waiting for you to admit to them.

She has declared all income
maintenance is not relevant income

again, I don’t really agree with this, much more focus should be on NRP supporting their children rather than taxpayers.
but based on the current rules the OP has not hidden considered income, she has not committed fraud or received UC she is not entitled to

According to the government website:

“Child maintenance payments will not affect any benefits that you and your children get, including Universal Credit. You will not have to pay tax on them.”

Just declare them all and explain that you have no other income except child maintenance.

When you have a review, you have to declare all bank accounts. Yes, the CM will be disregarded, but a bank account is a bank account so it needs to be declared, even if there is nothing in it.
OP will show the statements and nothing will happen.

Not entirely. Child maintenance is disregarded, as are small, infrequent monetary gifts. However, large gifts could affect a claimant's UC if it is more than the first savings threshold of £6k (which would result in a proportional reduction in UC up to £16k for the period(s) this amount is held, and then no UC entitlement at all above £16k - the second savings threshold). Similarly, regular gifts e.g. £300pm from parents to help with living costs could be treated as income. Nothing that OP has told us though indicates she would fall foul of these rules as she says she spends everything she has every month (so no savings would accumulate at all, let alone in excess of £6k) and her dad helps her out "sometimes" which, I'm guessing would be when she has an unexpected bill or emergency (like the washing machine breaking down).

Absolutely. The worst OP is guilty of is an administrative error, certainly not fraud in any legal sense (as desperate as some of these PPs want it to be 🙄 ).

None of which bears any similarity to OP's situation.

I have never claimed UC, I assume at the initial claim you just declare your income?
totally agree she now needs to declare all bank accounts, but that does not show any intent to defraud

Child maintenance hasn't been counted towards your income for years. As long as you don't have savings your hiding then everything will be fine. Tell them about the accounts though, they will see it is coming as maintenance, and not from various people as some cash in hand work or something

When I first claimed, I had to show statements... basically to prove that I didn't have £16k in savings. This was before Covid though. I know things were a bit more relaxed during the lockdowns as people were not going to the Job Centres.

claiming you thought maintenance was disregarded when you own up to juggling money in three bank accounts you are operating under different names is not exactly a brilliant defence is it?

Get in touch with UC and talk through what has happened.

RTFT
What is she going to get into trouble for? OP is not committing fraud.

How is having 3 bank accounts with no money in them 'benefit fraud'? 🤨