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Original poster

Can I claim Child benefit?

7 replies

TooTrue · 07/06/2011 13:49

We have been living and working overseas for the past 2 years. DS1 (4) was born in the UK (and we received child benefit for him) and we had twins whilst overseas. I came home with DC's just before Christmas, DH is still overseas, currently comes back as and when he can. He is desperate to come home but hasn't had any luck finding work here yet. I am a SAHM. Anybody know if I can claim child benefit for my DC's? (I called HMRC and the guy was pretty unhelpful to be honest!!)

OP posts:

Gonzo33 · 07/06/2011 14:33

Tootrue, did you register the twins as a UK citizen (ie do they have a UK Passport?). If they do then you can claim for them as well. If your husband is a crown employee then you could have claimed whilst living overseas as well.

Original poster

TooTrue · 07/06/2011 14:40

Hi Gonzo33, thanks for taking the time to reply. DH works for an overseas Government so I don't think we could've claimed whilst away. The twins have UK passports but they have birth certificates from the country they were born in (UAE). I remember hearing whilst we were overseas that there is now an income threshold for claiming Child Benefit but can't find much about it online, has that come into effect now?

OP posts:

CogitoErgoSometimes · 07/06/2011 15:12

Income threshold for CB comes into force in 2013, but up to then it is universal. After April (I think) 2013, if one parent earns enough to take them into the higher-rate tax band then CB is withdrawn.

Original poster

TooTrue · 07/06/2011 19:44

Thank you both for helping out. I'll hunt down the relevant forms straight away :)

OP posts:

Gonzo33 · 08/06/2011 12:31

Tax Credits told me that the limit is GBP42.5k (or close to) yesterday. As your husband worked for an overseas government you are correct, you could not have claimed until now.

mumoverseas · 10/06/2011 06:56

You can definitely claim now, DC3 and 4 were born in the ME and lived there for several years but we are now returning to the UK and will be claiming. We were back in the UK for a period of time several years ago and claimed then, just sent in birth certifictes which were issued by FCO and no problems. You could have claimed from when you returned to the UK. It can take a month or so for them to process the claim but they will backdate it to the date of your claim so make sure you do it asap.

inuite · 15/06/2011 14:43

be careful! I moved back to Uk 2 years ago and my husband also works for an overseas Government. If we claim CB ( which we dont) my husband would loose his Dependant Child Allowance which is added to his salary. In our case the DCA was MUCH more than CB. Not sure it is the same with you but worth checking as you cant claim for both.

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