Child’s savings on UC?

[Marvelfan300]

Can anyone advise my friend has a savers for her little girl (one where she can access if needed.) she recently claimed UC but they said they didn’t want to see statements etc for that account she was speaking to someone today who said she had to declare her daughters savings of £35,000 her daughter is (13) but online says she doesn’t? And the people who were at the job centre said she didn’t need to supply the statement but again she’s not sure and im not on it to advise any advice appreciated

I’m on universal credit and have been told opposite to a lot of people on here! I had my review and any savings accounts I could access and withdraw from, they said they take into account because you can access that money at any time

she made a savers for her daughter from 8 weeks pregnant she has been putting into it, her family baby showers gifts went into it, her child benefit goes into it, her dad contributes, birthday, Christmas, Easter’s, and the main one being inheritance? She’s worked full time up to recently when her mum passed and her dad has Parkinson’s to look after him as a carer she’s had no choice

This, she’s been getting about 2.5k a year in present money?

Thank you for this — she’s calling tomorrow and has updated them via online so hopefully they’ll give her some answers.

I have just been through a review and they didn't take into consideration my kids accounts. I provided them with the account numbers, names and providers. They've told me they don't class these as my savings.

I can withdraw and add to these accounts but they are very clearly in my children's names

Be mcause it’s very clearly dodgy isn’t it? Putting csa in to a savings account and then using tax payers money to live off. Not a very moral thing to do.

You’ve not read, she’s claimed this recently she’s in review of it? She hasn’t got ‘TAX.’ Payers money and if anything she was one of those until her mum has suddenly passed away because she HAS to look after her dad smh

I was told Isa’s and trust funds they don’t but if it’s an everyday saver that you could draw money out of they do. So basically if it’s an account you can’t touch until a certain age then it’s not taken into account. The universal credit site also states it’s not taken into account if you can’t access it so I think the big one is access. I suppose it depends how in depth they are when it comes to reviews and whether anything raises suspicions though!

I was initially worried as care for my sister and all her money goes into a savings account linked to my bank to just transfer out of when she needs it but thankfully I’m her appointee appointed by the DWP so it wasn’t taken into account even though I can access it

Why the fuck am I working and paying taxes to fund UC when some claimants can stash away their CSA rather than use it to pay for their children?

He pays £4.50 if you’d like to get technical and gives £20-£50 for Christmas and birthdays as he doesn’t get presents 🤣

CSA is also for the child it’s not counted regardless 👎🏻

The account should only be in the child's name so the parent doesn't have access to or control over it. If she can prove that money isn't going in and out of it on a regular basis then a decision maker might let her keep it. The best thing would be to look into putting it into an account asap and tell the UC agents everything

Yet when the child is ready for university and the child's mum writes to MN asking how she can afford to help her child at uni, there will be an absolute pile on telling her that she knew this day would come and she should have been saving for it since the day the child was born. She's damned if she does and she damned if she doesn't........

That information doesn’t actually help as it’s even more of a mystery how the child has amassed 35k in savings. You said dad contributes…. Obviously not a lot

This is incorrect. Having recently been through this process I was told that as the long as the account has the child's name on it and its their money (ie gifts or savings from others paid in for their benefit not the parents) then it's absolutely the child's money and does not need to be declared. Of course when the child is a minor a parent will have to be linked to the account in some way as children cannot set up their own accounts independently.

This is not deprivation of funds either as the money is inheritance, savings from the child's father and birthday/Christmas gifts. So entirely belonging to the child and not the mother.

Op what your friend is best doing is contacting a citizens advice agency and going to uc and asking them directly for complete transparency. I provided all details of my sons bank account to uc and this was immediately dismissed as it was not my account. I did also then convert it into a junior isa to make that even more transparent so i can't access any of it. But that shouldn't really be needed in this case especially if the intention was that some of the gifts are to be used prior to turning 18 such as driving lessons.

Yes she’s updated them with everything and in her review she even sent the summary statement of the account which showed she’s not taken anything out of the account since setting it up when her daughter was in utero.

context on dad her and dad were married contributed well (builder self employed.) they broke up he got another girlfriend and suddenly cannot contribute as much as he did for the first 8years of her life plus extra before hand now contributes little to nothing (CSA calculations.) and doesn’t want to see the child anymore so adds extra on birthday & Xmas (irrelevant to this whole situation but you seem to all be invested.)

Csa is not counted for uc claims as it is obviously not reliable and often doesn't cover half of the expenses of raising a child. If you're going to post at least inform yourself first before suggesting (wrongly) that someone is ripping the piss out of the system.

There was also inheritance...

Thank you so much for your helpful information— I’ve sent this all across she’s contacted them online Friday but no response yet and of course she’s worried she’s just lost her mum she’s looking after her terminally ill father aswell as being a single mum who’s lost her job to be there for her father too. This is a sad situation, and she doesn’t need to be belittled when asking for advice you’ve been super helpful so thank you she’s definitely going to give them a call as soon as they open she’s been looking at junior ISAs too she’s not had to do this before as she was a teacher until this has all happened she has never claimed before.

I had a quick scan on Reddit and it seems the outcome can vary depending on who does your review which doesn't seem fair all. All I can do is speak from my own very recent experience of this. I provided all my bank statements and a covering letter with letting them know my children had premium bonds (inheritance) and savings accounts with the credit union (I direct debit £25pm into the CU).

The Decision Maker has notified me everything is in order with my claim and that they aren't taking the childrens accounts into consideration. I have never withdrawn from these accounts, even though I have the ability too. If they have looked into they they would have only seen the DD, and other lodgements the week after each of there birthdays and just after Christmas.

If there is a will that states it goes to the child

CSA and Child Benefit are supposed to be used for the parents / carers to care for the child so UC may see it as deprivation if they are being saved in the child's account instead.

She actually may have been entitled to claim before now as well depending on her earnings. I earn full time and get uc to help with rent and childcare as a lone parent. So if anything she's very possibly under claimed. Not that they'll back date that obviously.

CSA and child benefit both can be saved there is no issue in doing that - again she has applied for benefits recently she was a teacher before she worked FT she’s not needed to not be able to save them she earned enough to cover everything she can give her child a good start

Inheritance, birthday money, gifts etc are one thing, saving CM and CB are quite another. They are payments to go towards a child’s living expenses, not to be saved so that UC increases.