Will I have to opt out of child benefit?

[Blankiefan]

I earn about £75k pa. I'm pregnant with my first child. Will I have to opt out of child benefit or will they just never give me it? (hubby earns about £40k if that makes a difference)

TIA

You can opt out, or you need to fill out a tax return so that they can get it back out of you in tax instead. If you look at the HMRC website it will give you details on how to do either of those things. I think some things are allowable before they calculate the tax, like pension contributions, but if you are expecting to earn 75k then I'd guess you're as well to opt out of the whole thing and save the hassle of filling out the form (assuming you don't have to anyway...) The website has a calculator to hel pyou check whether you'll lose the whole lot.

Thanks for the advice... Was hoping they'd just not give me it automatically!

Make sure that you still apply for child benefit even if you opt out of receiving it; this way you are still credited with National Insurance contributions which count towards your state pension later on.

Once you are on the register as being entitled to child benefit, you will be able to restart it at any time if necessary.

register for it but opt out of payment so you get your NI contributions plus your dc will then get their National Insurance card when they are older

Are you planning to take maternity leave? In that case, depending on when you're due and the length of the leave you may not earn £75k in a tax year or two. Therefore it may be beneficial to claim in the beginning and opt out later.