What do you do with your Child Benefit?

[emmaalwaysinadilemma]

My mum was horrified when it came up in conversation that I put half our child benefit payments aside to pay for our annual family holiday. The other half goes into a pot mainly for the DCs' clothes, and other odd bits they need. She thinks this money should be put into a savings account for them - which it would, in an ideal world, but there's no way we could afford to take them on holiday then

I'm now curious about what other people spend it on, and if my mum is right that it's a bit unfair of me to spend it on holidays?? As I said, if I didn't do this then the children would have no holidays as we simply couldn't afford it.

[quote decoraters]@TenOclock

It's intended to feed and clothe them

Can you link to a credible source stating so?[/quote]
Why else should the taxpayer be funding it?

It was introduced as a way of making sure mothers got cash to feed the family even if fathers spent their pay packet in the pub or the bookies on the way home

Mine goes into the ills account but I do put away £50 into savings each month from same account for DS too

.

You're supposed to spend it on your child, however that works for your family.
Some families buy food, other families clothes, other families presents, other families saving, other families towards a family holiday.

Dd receives the child benefit as pocket money. Shes 17 and buys her clothes and other items from it.

@TenOclock

Why else should the taxpayer be funding it?

I never mentioned anything about the funding of CB

It was introduced as a way of making sure mothers got cash to feed the family even if fathers spent their pay packet in the pub or the bookies on the way home

I never mentioned why it was introduced either. I asked you to link to a credible source to back up the statement you made that it is to 'feed and clothe' our children

@Maskedcrusader

Honestly, I treat myself with it, usually goes towards a trip to the hairdressers or some beauty products. I pay the mortgage, food, petrol, clubs, clothes, holidays, birthday,.Christmas etc. Everything my family needs comes out of my wages so I don't feel guilty spending it on myself.

This doesn't even make sense...if it goes into the same account as your wages anyway, it's all one pot. You'd be just as correct in saying that you use it for food or bills.

I put it into a savings account each month and it's goes towards swimming lessons and clothes for the kids

It benefits my child.

We pay it into our children’s savings accounts. My parents did the same for my sister and me. I know we’re lucky to be able to afford this.

It just went into the general pot of money. To pay for what was needed.

So your mum must have handed you a seriously hefty sum then if she'd saved all your child benefit for you?

I agree with Boudicca. I know families, apparently financially secure, who just save it, and feel sad when I see some of my pupils, children of parents who work just as hard, come to school with plimsoles wrapped in gaffa tape for the winter or dad's coat. I know there is meanstesting, and absolutely 'get' the importance of NI contribution and a small regular payment being made to the main caregiver who may be vulnerable to financial abuse, but I definitely think some I know are taking the mickey claiming it in the first place.

We put ours in savings for the DC until recently and now we are not entitled to it. Even though there are families earning twice what we are and are still entitled to it

Did your mum save yours for you?

@StephenBelafonte

It just went into the general pot of money. To pay for what was needed.

So your mum must have handed you a seriously hefty sum then if she'd saved all your child benefit for you?

I don’t know if this was aimed at me or someone else. My husband pays it back in tax. Claiming helps to protect national insurance contributions for times I’m not earning enough.

This is a benefit for children and as pointed out some main wage earners don’t give their partner enough to take care of the children. How do you manage that if you don’t give it to every family? Just for people on certain benefits?

It's a long time since I had child benefit. However I just used it to supplement our incomes; it came in very handy because we didn't have a lot early on. When my son was 14 I gave it to him to supplement his allowance and he had that plus the pocket money we gave, until he reached 19..

It is nobody else's business what you do with the money, it is provided to help the family, not a specifically named child. Lots of people save it to help pay for holidays and that sounds jolly sensible to me.

It just goes in the pot. Given the fortune I’m spending on childcare it doesn’t even get noticed. Maybe once DS turns 3 and my childcare costs reduce I’ll be able to save it, or spend it on nicer clothes, shoes and things for him.

I've got 2 DC, so get around £35 a week. I put £10 into each kids JrISA, then £10 into an account for Christmas/birthdays. The remaining £5 just get swept in with generic spends, previously it covered a couple of toddler groups but there not in right now. I'm spending a small fortune on baking ingredients and activities books though, so that probably accounts for it.

We put it in a bank account for them (well until they stopped it, anyway!)

It goes into the joint account and gets swallowed by household bills presently

My mum gave me mine when I was 17. I was quite ill and she wanted me to stop earning money to focus on studies. Prior to that it just went on the family pot, which is what happens with my payments for my kids. The pot that pays the mortgage, childcare, food, clothes, water rates, gas bill, petrol, my phone contract, TV licence. Mentally I've always thought of it as going towards childcare, as that is the only expense I didn't have pre - DC. All those expenses are also for the kids - they don't have phones, but I make a lot of calls to school, some to Drs, their family members - although it is mine, it is needed for all of us.

Saved in in child trust fund and now in a Children Junior ISA for when DD is older. She should have a tidy sum when she is 25. Hopefully.

It pays for school lunches, and towards clothes, birthday presents/Christmas etc.

It goes back to the government. I do wish they'd rethink the fact that one family could have two parents earning nearly 50k to make a household income of almost 100k and claim child benefit, whereas in another family one parent may be earning nothing and the other 60k. The high earner may have sole control of the finances so it doesn't make much sense to me.

We saved it for the DC
Latterly we didn't get it when the rules changed