do you claim your child benefit even if you don't 'need' it?

[elportodelgato]

Just interested. We don't really need CB, it doesn't get spent on everyday essentials, it goes into a nice savings account for DD for when she's older. I personally think CB should be means tested and therefore not made available to people (like me) who don't need it. But while it's available to everyone, it's legitimate free money so why not? Does anyone disagree?

I am raising a new taxpayer for the benefit of all society and so I have no issue with receiving a small recognition of this important task. The taxes I pay and my dd will pay will massively outway the small sum given while she is young.

Absolutely because the day you do need it, they a) don't back date it and b) those who have never claimed a penny in their lives and don't know the system tend to get treated like shit and not paid anything whilst you spiral either into debt or loose everything you've worked the past 10 years for. I speak from experience.
Save your CB for a rainy day if nothing else.

I am genuinely shocked at the number of people who claim child benefit and put it into savings etc.

The idea though is that the childbenifit is for children and they would be the ones to be means tested and not their parents.

Child benifit is not supposed to be ever taken from the child until they reach 19 in FTE but if your parnets are climing income support they certianly used to take the same amount of money away from the claim stating that the parnest would be recieving CB sad to think that unemployed parents would be means tested for CB - I don't know whether this still applies

Am not in the UK, so don't know - how much is it per child? How often is it paid?

What's wrong with saving it? We're using it for our children at the 'other end' of their childhood, as opposed to the baby years. It's still being used for/by them!

"I am genuinely shocked at the number of people who claim child benefit and put it into savings etc."

As opposed to what spending it on gin or designer shoes ?

You can get three bottles of spirits a month with the child benifit for two dc

four if you shop for bargains :)

I just assumed that people who needed child benefit claimed it and those who didn't usually didn't claim it or gave it away. Spending it on gin or shoes is as bad although I guess that if you spend it you could kid yourself that you need it. But by shuffling it away into an account you are admitting you don't need it. It is money that other people need.

I get what your are saying BIWI, I really worry about my dd future and I wonder if we wil ever be able to afford a much wanted second child. I remember the difference my child benefit made to me when i was a single mum - it really did go on essentials. I would feel uneasy keeping money from the system that I did not really need.

If i didn't need it, would probably still claim and put it into a savings account for the child - to be used later for big item (toward university education, house deposit, etc).

Mine is spend on rather more boring stuff. like mortgage, bills and food.

I was putting some money into the child trust fund thing for DD but cancelled that.

I don't worry about them not getting on at university, because anyone that judges you for, say, spending holidays working and living with parents instead of travelling is a twit you shouldn't be friends with. And the kids of wealthy parents i knew were also kept impoverished by their folks on priciple too!

It would be nice if we'd saved enough for them to go travelling or similar at some point, but it's not happening now...

Do you think if others don't claim it there would be more for those who do ? It really doesn't work that way at all.
The powers that be decide on an amount they deem somebody can survive on and that is what is paid out.
No matter who claims it and what they do with it.
By spending it you are being taxed, in the form of VAT unless you spend it on anything but child related products (and even then some of those). Which how they justify paying it to people who do spend it on gin etc, it's coming back into the pot that way.
If you save it at least you're slightly up on the deal until they tax the interest.

Gosh, I wish we didn't need it. I am a SAHM so we have just my husband's income and I use the CB to buy nappies and clothing for our DS. I don't work because childcare is too expensive so my salary would just pay for that and petrol to get to work and thats daft. I'm sure there are many other people in the same situation who really value their CB.

No I don't think that which is why we didn't stop claiming it mamtomany, although the recent economic climate has made us consider not claiming it. I guess much of it is emotional, having relied on the state previously both of us feel guilty at taking out of it when we do not need to.

Well as we found out you can go under pretty quick waiting for them to sort out help when you need tiptree and nobody will take into account and thank you for not accepting help you are entitled to when you didn't need it.
Everyone I know has had their tax credits stopped at the moment, there are mortgage payments bouncing all over the place amongst my friends, I bet some of them wished they'd saved their CB.

We claim it and save it.

We also claim DLA as DH is disabled although not too bad at the moment. The DLA goes to charity (although gift aided) but without the DLA, DH couldn't have a blue badge which makes an enormous difference. We claim it on the basis that if DH's health significantly deteriorates (which is likely) it will be a while before we are able to get any benefits etc and my salary will not cover all our expenses.

I understand that, we have has some very tough financial years tiptree which is why my DH said we should donate our child benefit rather than stop claiming it. may be giving the impression that we have a huge wage and have never had to struggle. DH and I often have to do cleaning, selling or manual work to top up our wage so we can save for DD or have holidays.

We never claimed tax credits either partly for the same reasons, partly as we did not wish to depend on others and also so many people seemed to be asked to pay the money back.

I don't need it, but I claim it.

I don't treat it differently to any other household income - it comes into my bank account, from which I pay all bills and expenses, have monthly pension and savings payments payments, and then move any excess to a high interest saving account - for me.

Of course we do.

Indeed I think all benefits should be universal. That means we all get them without claiming them and regadless of what we earn or not earn.

Ian Duncan Smith is keen on the idea and it woudl mean unemployed people would not have to claim benefit and yet have an incentive to go to work.

Almost no one resents child benefit in the way that no one resents basic state pension. I think we should merge all benefits into one big universal benefit to remove the cost and waste and bureacracy and unfairness of the current system.

I really am mystified by this holier than thou attitude emanating from some posts on this thread. CB is a recognition of the costs of raising children, given to the main carer, parent or Guardian. For low income families it is a godsend, for middle and higher incomes it is a bit of cash back from all the tax paid.

You do not improve Any one elses situation by not claiming it, and not claiming is harmful if you take any time out of work to look after children when it comes to your pension position later.

Save your grand gestures for something meaningful like community work or volunteering, by doing something positive.

Why does someone beome holier than thou because they want to do the right thing? I do improve someone's life chances because we donate it to a local charity. We also do volunteer on a regular basis.

I acknowledged it was a godsend for low income familes, we were one of those familes. We no longer are.

See I can be 'holier than thou' too!

Why is what I chose to do either a grand gesture or holier than thou? That is pretty offensive.

DH was also worried about pension provision later ( although I don't think I will get a state pension) and if we were ever fortunate enough to be in a position to have a second child we may need the money. So we donate rather than not claim.

So although the motivation may be emotional it was a thought out decision and not an attempt to be holier than thou. In real life I don't think anyone knows what we do.