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Original poster

Didn’t know about child benefit!

119 replies

Amyloumummy · 16/07/2019 14:21

Hi,

I’ve just found out about child benefit and my daughter is 5!! I’ve missed out on thousands of pounds! I’m wondering how everyone knows about this - should I have been sent a letter when my daughter was born or something? Is it just general knowledge? Really confused how I seem to be the only one not to know about this!

Thanks!

OP posts:
chzarind · 16/07/2019 21:17

Yes, the 1970s books, looked like cheque books, they would take half the page, stamp it and give you the cash

I had one of those in 2001 Grin

Can't remember when they switched me to bank payments, but I definitely had one as recently as 01!

BeachComber1 · 16/07/2019 21:18

I’m 36.
No kids.
Not born in, or living in,the UK.
Have never once claimed a benefit.

And I know about UK child benefit. Astounded that you didn’t.

AnotherEmma · 16/07/2019 21:22

I think people are being unnecessarily harsh.
I work at Citizens Advice and I have told plenty of people (mostly about to have a baby or just had one) about child benefit, some had heard of it and some hadn't. It is perfectly conceivable that you might not have heard about it.
OP, you could always try asking them to backdate it for longer than 3 months. The worst that could happen is they say no.

BarrenFieldofFucks · 16/07/2019 21:32

I think the name of it has thrown you, so you are thinking of it as a benefit benefit. But presumably you must have seen in the news when it went from universal to means tested? It was massive news!

Smithy01 · 16/07/2019 21:36

Must have been misinformed, thanks for the arsey info DustyDoorFrames. Do not understand why people need to be so off with others on here.

AnotherEmma · 16/07/2019 21:39

"it went from universal to means tested?"

Well it's not exactly means-tested as such, it's just that there's an earnings cut-off.
It's not a true means-tested benefit with thresholds and checks for income and savings.

BarrenFieldofFucks · 16/07/2019 21:40

Fair point 😁

ineedaholidaynow · 16/07/2019 22:01

If you have a business don't you have to fill in a tax return, is there not a question about child benefit on there?

DustyDoorframes · 16/07/2019 22:03

@Smithy01 tone doesn't always quite come across in writing, does it? Meant to be reasonably neutral to jolly there.

Original poster
Amyloumummy · 16/07/2019 22:28

Thanks to the people that have sympathised and tried to help, I’m really grateful.

OP posts:
JasperRising · 16/07/2019 23:54

Whilst it might be slightly more uncommon to not know about child benefit at all, I think there is a fair bit of misunderstanding about the system since it stopped being universal despite it being in the news at the time so you are not alone in having missed the stories at the time. I know people who didn't realise they had to a tax return when their salary went over 50k (despite it being in the news) and a lot of people seem to be unaware that of you do earn over 60k you can claim child benefit (and the NI credits) but tick a box to not receive the money thus avoiding needing to do a tax return and give all the money back (despite the fact this was also covered in the news and there is a box explaining it in the middle of the form!).

It is really frustrating you have missed out though. And for what it is worth I don't think my health visitor or registrar mentioned it and I refused to see bounty on the ward so no pack. I got the form online.

Kazzyhoward · 17/07/2019 08:02

If you have a business don't you have to fill in a tax return, is there not a question about child benefit on there?

Yes, it's in the middle of the main 8 page document, headed "High Income Child Benefit Charge" and continues "fill in this section if all of the following apply ..... your income was over £50,000"

So, if your income wasn't over £50k, you would ignore the section.

Kazzyhoward · 17/07/2019 08:08

Begs the question - why is common knowledge not knowledge commonly known anymore?

Ironic isn't it that the current generation has all the tools at their fingertips for massive amounts of information available on their phone or tablet. The government, various quangos, charities etc have spent billions of pounds providing websites and apps. There are piles of leaflets in every doctors waiting room, every hospital out patients dept, etc.

Yet, people still choose to ignore all that and spend their online time liking pictures of cats doing stupid things on facecloth!

A very simple google search for "benefits for children" would have given numerous websites outlining all the different benefits available and the criteria/conditions, such as the moneyadviceservice.org, gov.uk, citizens advice.org.

I'm really not sure what people expect these days. Take some responsibility for yourself, all the information is at your fingertips, spend a little more time researching things and less time on twatter and facecloth.

Original poster
Amyloumummy · 17/07/2019 08:48

I didn’t even think to look up benefits for children as I assumed that it wouldn’t be relevant to me, as I said I assumed it was for low income households which we aren’t (unfortunately we’re not high income either).

OP posts:
AnchorDownDeepBreath · 17/07/2019 08:53

I said I assumed it was for low income households which we aren’t

That makes more sense than not knowing about it at all, which seems to be what is baffling most people!

I hope that they'll backdate it, it's worth asking.

Whatabanana · 17/07/2019 09:03

This thread has just become a lot more exciting for me as I didn't know we were eligible for marriage tax allowance. Have just applied to have it backdated, fingers crossed!

Spice04 · 17/07/2019 09:13

How annoying for you, as a side note, my husband runs a small business and his accountants last year asked him to confirm the amount of child benefit we received so they could include it in his return.

Otterses · 17/07/2019 09:42

Ohhhhh @Whatabanana Grin

I'm sure there will be a cheque hitting your doormat any day now. They seem to be getting processed quite quickly these days.

Kazzyhoward · 17/07/2019 09:48

How annoying for you, as a side note, my husband runs a small business and his accountants last year asked him to confirm the amount of child benefit we received so they could include it in his return.

So he earns more than £50k - that's when it becomes a tax return issue. The software we use doesn't ask the question until the £50k income is breached. Below that, the section doesn't apply.

Itscoldouthere · 17/07/2019 09:58

Well I can understand the confusion to some degree, my children are older so we used to just be given family allowance as it wasn’t means tested.
I must admit I did think it was strange that it wasn’t a means tested benefit.
When they changed it our accountant informed me that we had the option of continuing to claim it (so I would get NI credits) but that we would have to effectively give it all back in tax at the end of the year as DH wages took us over the threashold.
I decided it was too much hassle so we just stopped claiming it.
OP I would certainly speak to HMRC to see what they advise.

BarbaraofSeville · 17/07/2019 10:06

Not knowing about child benefit is like not knowing about the existence of the Royal Family, or Police Stations. It's absolutely common knowledge, or not as it appears to be.

I would have thought that anyone old enough to have DC would have childhood memories of their DM getting the CB from the post office as you had to go there to pick it up in cash.

You can't do anything about the lost money , but whether or not the missed NI credits are signficant depends on whether you've paid these by working. If you've earnt above the threshold and will expect to for 35 years over your working life, you'll get them anyway. It's only if you spend a lot of time as a non or very low earner that they're important.

sweetkitty · 17/07/2019 10:15

Oh OP I’m gutted for you. I’m sure it was in with the How to register a birth form with ours?

At least you’ll get it now and a wee bit backdated Wink

I remember in the 80s my Mum signing the green book over to me, me going to the PO getting it stamped getting the £14 odds and going shopping with my list. My mum was a lazy sod though.

I still get it but then DH takes the same amount and banks it every month and pays it back each January in a tax return. We have 4 DC so we lost £250 a month overnight, we were just on the threshold at the time, total squeezed middle!

MyDcAreMarvel · 17/07/2019 10:38

we were just on the threshold at the time, total squeezed middle!
You had an income of over twice the national average. You are in no way the squeezed middle.

WellTidy · 17/07/2019 10:44

alternatively some of us remember collecting the family allowance from the post office for our mums in the 70s blush I'm not remembering that wrongly, am I?

Back when I was a teenager in the 80s, the "fam" was my pocket money. I think it was something like £7.10 a week. I used to take the book to the post office, and they would remove one of the pages, stamp the book and give me the money. It was a great way of learning to budget. I spent some and saved some for clothes, trips into town with friends etc.

Billballbaggins · 17/07/2019 10:51

It was all over the news when it went from being a universal benefit to being ‘repayable’ or whatever the phrase is for those earning over £50K (it’s £60K now I believe).

My son is 5 and I remember I got a leaflet when leaving hospital stating I’d need to print off the form for it on the gov website once the baby had been registered as you need to send the birth certificate. It was in the info you need for the registrar.

Send off the form ASAP and explain why you haven’t claimed before. They may backdate further than the usual 12 weeks, always worth trying.