UC & child’s bank account

[Elliesmummy1]

Just a bit of advise please
I claim UC and want to know if my UC can be affected with my 2 year olds child savers account
it’s with my bank and I have both accounts on my app
is there a limit to how much she can have in or not
as I want her to have 15k + plus when she’s 17 for driving lessons and a car but don’t want my money affected as I have nothing I live hand to mouth
Thankyou x

Is it in a junior isa? Those don't count as your assets as you can't access them, only the child can at 18
I wouldn't raise a child in poverty just to give them 15k in adulthood though!

It’s not an isa just a child saver and I’m in control and able to withdraw
I wouldn’t exactly say poverty she has everything you can think of and more
shes spoilt

Living hand to mouth would be my definition of poverty. She may prefer to go on, I don't know, school trips abroad, rather than just get £15k at 18.
Anyway, yes her savings account as described is considered part of your savings and should be declared. If total savings are over, I think £6k, your UC will be reduced.
If you move it to a junior isa it wouldn't affect your UC. But as you are already claiming UC it 'may' be considered deprivation of assets - I don't know enough about that to say for sure

I just wanted to say that every eighteen year old in my friendship group who has been given a similar amount of money from their CTF has pissed it up the wall.

None of them have spent it on driving lessons or a house deposit. And they are all pretty good kids. They all think they don't need driving lessons because you can't take a car to university or you can't get tests at the moment. None of them are thinking about buying houses.

I didn't put anything extra at all in my DD's CTF and I have to say I'd be really upset if I had been saving away and denying myself things for my dd to spend it all in Ibiza or in Nando's or on a ring for a girl as has happened to some of my friends.

I think it affects UC if you have access to it and can withdraw because they treat it like your savings. It sucks.

Thanks guys
if I was to move to junior isa do Barclays do them ? as I asked if this account could be made so I cannot touch it and they said no

A junior Isa is legally the child’s at 18 so I don’t necessarily think they’re a good idea.

also is it legal to claim government money whilst saving money elsewhere - doesn’t really seem right

@Oldfilmsareshit you can't really. And it's a shame. It perfectly fine to spend benefit money on beer or things like that but if you wanted to save it you can't after a certain point.

This sort of thing pisses me off. I've never had a penny of benefits in my life (apart from Child Benefit), and have never had spare money to save on behalf of my DC.

If the OP's daughter has "everything you can think of and more", and is "spoilt", it also pisses me off that my taxes are paying for someone else's child to be spoilt when I very definitely can't afford to spoil mine.

I will have to save £5,000 in bank and rest in cash I don’t see any other way

Barclays don’t do junior isa

you Probably have a mortgage and a car on the tick which we don’t that’s a chunk every month

@FOTTFSOFTFOASM

Yeah which one is it OP? You can’t live hand to mouth and also spoil your daughter, it’s a contradiction. You need to get your priorities straight. It’s better for your daughter to not grow up in a hand to mouth household, vs getting driving lessons at 17. Also this post comes across as trying to swindle the system, the truth is you would be expected to use savings and savings can impact your entitlement to UC.

How can you live hand to mouth on UC and save a sizeable amount each month?

I would stop worrying about giving her money which she may or may not use for the driving lessons and concentrate on making your day to day living better.

Search online for “deprivation of assets” OP, it may apply to you

I only want to save for my child and not ridiculous amounts and with a junior isa I can legally so how am I trying to swindle the system
do one if you don’t like it

Also birthday and Christmas money and a very very generous great grandmother who will so be leaving to my child in her will

You are living hand to mouth yet your daughter is "spoilt"? I'm very confused by this.

How are you qualifying for benefits if you are wealthy enough to spoil your child?

Basic figures suggest over the next 15 years you will need to save more than £80 per month to achieve your wishes. Nobody who has £80 per month to save and is 'spoiling' their daughter with everything is living hand to mouth. Nobody.

I have massive family and she is spilt by all :)

Op, you are saving for your child while claiming uc, and you are saying your child and has everything. You do realise that those of us who are working are paying for that? Whilst many of us can't afford to save for our own children, certainly can't spoil them or even pay for driving lessons??
And now you are complaining you can't save as much as you want because it might effect your UC payment! Bloody hell, have you no shame?

@Elliesmummy1 you really shouldn't have to justify yourself to nosy posters.

Yes it’s the £80 per month I get for her I want to save
it’s Paid weekely actually and it’s about £21 per week

I mean if you are going to ask a question and the answer involves affordability then it's not unreasonable if people ask about it.