Does anybody know how far back child benefit can be backdated under extenuating circumstaces?

[mowgeli]

My son was born prematurely and I am very sick still 17 months after he was born.
I didn't even know child benefit existed and thought it was only for families who didn't work?
Now that I have applied for it I'm wondering if there is anyone who has experience of how far the office is allowed to back date under extenuating circumstances please?

Do they not only backdate 3 months. I don't think you'd get any more than that

Not sure, I've written to them. I wondered if anyone had any experience of if.

I am sorry to hear of the difficult start you had to your child's life. In my experience, the forms were given to me in hospital, they almost certainly wouldn't backdate as far as 17 months.

They’ll only backdate it for 3 months I think. You don’t really have extenuating circumstances anyway.

3 months

Thank you everyone for your answers.

@BarbaraOcumbungles you need to re evaluate the way you talk to people. You do not know my life. You do not know me.
I do have extenuating circumstances. I think living every single day in pain, nearly dying 4 times, catching life threatening infections and more then 60 hospital admissions in 18 months do count.
Stop spreading negative, nasty and back handed comments. You have deliberately written something hurtful and untrue. I hope you realise how cruel you have been.

That's a bit harsh OP!

No, it's not harsh. It's true. Someone was deliberately cruel to me and they need to think long and hard why they feel it is acceptable to speak to anyone like that, least of all someone they do not know.

Mowgeli I am sorry you've had a terrible time and that your son is unwell but you were very harsh to Barbara.

You don't really have any extenuating circumstances - the info re child benefit is given out in hospital and also the registrar gave it to me when I registered the birth.

Does your child have another parent who could have got the forms too? Or grandparents?

I really didn't see what Barbara's wrote as cruel at all. It was factual.

You don't have extenuating circumstances. You just don't. That is a fact, not cruel.

Op I'm sorry for what you're going through but Barbara really wasn't cruel at all, she stated a fact. I hope you're feeling better soon

Nobody gave me the forms in hospital as I had a general anaesthetic for my c section and I spent the time I was in hospital afterwards in special care with him. I got discharged a day and a half after the c section and then I was not in the maternity ward again.
I didn't have much contact with my community midwife as I was always in hospital when I was pregnant and the health visiting team didn't tell me about child benefit.
Nobody told my husband and I'm perplexed as to why my sons grandparents would have been given the forms?
The midwives in the hospital didn't give me any forms and I didn't get a bounty pack at hospital before I left either, perhaps related to the fact I was discharged before my son was.

And yes, it is cruel to write a comment like that so it's not harsh to tell someone to re evaluate the way that they communicate with someone if they don't even know them. It's entertainment on a Sunday morning for some people to be mean and it isn't warranted. I didn't ask if I had extenuating circumstances I asked if anyone knew how far back and if it was possible for HMRC to back date child bennefit.

Even with your poor health they won't back date as far as 17months I'm afraid. For future I would always recommend applying for any benefits available even if you feel you may not be eligible as they can always write back and tell you this and you won't lose money that way.

How do you know @Expemsiveuniform that I do not have extenuating circumstances? If I haven't outlined everything in my post how can you make a decision on that?

Secondly I didn't ask if I had extenuating circumstances I asked if there was capacity to back date child benefit for a parent or parents who have extenuating circumstances.

Barbara's comment was not harsh it was true.

Sorry for what you have been through but pp are correct it is 3 months.
Do not be surprised if they reject your claim for a longer back dated period.
Hope your health improves OP.

@OurMiracle1106 I think I will do that in the future. I only just applied for PIP in May and had it signed off in the last week despite being in hospital more then once a week since February and being under the services of urology, pain team and psychologists/ mental health support.
Nobody sign posted me to it! Didn't even know it existed. Insane.

OP maybe instead of being on here you just wait for a reply. You're taking everything very sensitively. You asked a question, got some answers you didn't like and are now being rude yourself.

You or your husband should've found out. The info is there it's in all the info.

You really don't have extenuating circumstances.

Instead of focussing in that you would be better to reframe that you didn't know you were getting this money and any is a bonus.

Stop spreading negative, nasty and back handed comments. You have deliberately written something hurtful and untrue. I hope you realise how cruel you have been.

Hardly! Unless you have a history with this poster you have made assumptions on her motives, as much if not more than she did. You also don’t know if your circumstances will be considered extenuating. The error was yours, as you admit, by making an assumption that it was only for people who don’t work.

I suggest you phone the cb office tomorrow and see what they say. If you or your partner earn over 40k you won’t qualify anyway. I suggest though you don’t start accusing them of being cruel if they don’t agree your circumstances aren’t extenuating.

I am assuming you have a partner as you say for people who don’t work, and it doesn’t sound like you have been fit for work. It’s not unreasonable that they could have filled in the forms?

I didn't refer to three months I just said I had been too poorly to apply and wasn't aware I was eligible for child benefit. I then said that any back dating of the payment possible would be gratefully appreciated. I got my sons birth certificate back the other day so hopefully they will write to me soon.

You are rude. And very aggressive in your pots.

I understand that you're struggling but you are reacting disproportionately to reasonable suggestions.

I hope you get better soon.

*posts

My husband works and I am employed by my own business. We are both paid a salary and dividends.

He has been my carer for ages and also didn't even know what child benefit was. I have notified them of how much we are paid each in salary and dividends which vary.

Jesus OP, get a grip.

If your entire family managed not to read about Child Benefit during the time you were pregnant and during the post birth paperwork period, it's no ones fault but your own.

CB is written and talked about all over the place, on NHS and government bumph, at the registry office, everywhere.

Have you heard of tax credits? Because the two are usually mentioned together.

You are fantastically aggressive. Perhsps that blinds you to important details in real life.

I don't know what tax credits are, no.

I don't know if I am eligible. I have been so sick that nobody had time to talk to us about child benefits when I am in hospital for acute pain and infection management.