Child benefit tax

[Kingkong2022]

I earn £54k, my ex husband (separated not divorced) earns 20k. He lives at a different address now and he has always claimed the child benefit. It was paid into joint account which is now my sole account. So he claims but paid directly into my account. For 2 DCs.
With pension payments I managed to just miss the high income tax charge for the last tax year but will have to pay it next time - unless I don’t because it’s not me who claims it and we are separated??
Effectively it could be seen as him paying it to me as part of child support- he pays the bare minimum.
Any advice gratefully received. I’ve never done a tax return and really don’t want to start if I can help it. As an aside it’s massively unfair that one person earning over £50k has to pay it as a single parent but 2 parents both earning £49999 would not!

Actually separate your finances properly. On £20k as the resident parent does your husband claim any UC or other benefits? With money claimed by him going into your account it looks like you aren't really separated.

In those circumstances, if our finances were properly separate, would I still be liable for the tax charge before and after we divorce?

You’re not liable for it if he is claiming it and he’s not in your household.
As he lives elsewhere, he probably is clearly a different household. I say probably, but you may say he’s sleeping at his mum’s with his post still at yours…
I would have his claim be paid to his account, to be much clearer - he can always then transfer it over to you after.

@cocomarine - thank you - he’s renting a flat and his post goes there, council tax etc. technically we are both still on the mortgage but I am paying it. I will ask him to have it paid into his account.

@Kingkong2022 hi did you resolve this? It's my understanding that the onus is on the parent who's income exceeds the threshold to notify and you may therefore be fined?