Paying back child benefit.

[tellmesomethingtrue]

I earn minimum wage. STBEXH earns over threshold for child benefit.
I still claim it to get the NI credit and as we are separated, so I am in the system ready for when we divorce.
We live in the family home. We both pay a percentage towards bills so he pays more actual money.
I'm of the understanding that STBEXH needs to declare that as a married couple, our joint income is over the limit and he needs to pay the CB back.
Does anyone know if this is correct and how he does it? He is refusing to achknowledge that he needs to pay it back and I'm worried he'll get a fine.
I haven't spent the CB in case 'we' need to pay it back although obviously it would be very handy to pay for our kids trips and uniform/shoes etc.

How much over the limit does he earn?

I think he earns around £75k or £80k

Why do you think there’s a chance he won’t have to pay it back?

How much does he put into his pension a year, this could make the difference between him paying it back or not.

Why does he have to pay it back, do you receive it or him?

Yes he needs to declare it on a self assessment and pay it back. The deadline is the end of the month. Any fine or penalty would be in his name as the higher earner.

They will find out but it can take months or even years. But he will not get away with not paying it back. Luckily for you, if you are separating you should hopefully have different addresses and be divorced by the time that happens.

It doesn't matter who receives it. The higher earner pays it back.

Thank you for your comprehensive answer.

I don't think he believes me when I say he needs to fill in a form and pay it back.

What is the form called? Where does he get it from?

What is STEBHX

Soon to be ex husband

I started receiving child benefit from 15th April 2024 so would my STBEXH need to do the form in Jan 26?

I don't think I typed that...? STBEXH is my soon-to-be-ex-husband that I'm currently living with and still married to despite having separated 8 months ago.

He needs to register for self assessment and compete a tax return

www.gov.uk/child-benefit-tax-charge/pay-the-charge

Yes the January 31st deadline is for tax year April 23-March 24 so it would actually be next year if you only started receiving child benefit in April 24.

They have also increased the amount you can earn as of tax year 24/25 but I think it's now £60k so he may still need to pay it.

He should complete a self assessment with HRMC and that will calculate if and how much he pays back. As another poster said pension contributions will be taken off first.

I know several people who tried to get away with not declaring it and have been caught. Not only did they have to pay back the child benefit but also receiving a penalty fine.

Correct

As the high earner he is the one that registers for self assessment and completes a tax return to pay some or all of the child benefit back, regardless of who in the household claims the CB.

He’ll need to register for self-assessment and file a tax return for the 2024-25 year.

The deadline is 31 January 2026 but he should do it as soon as possible. If he owes less than £3,000 and files his return before 31 December 2025, he can ask HMRC to adjust his tax code and take it from the following years PAYE.

It doesn’t matter if you claimed the child benefit. It’s based on the income of the higher earner in the home. The thresholds changed from April 2024. Income in the range £60,000 to £80,000 is tapered, I think, so he may not have to repay it all.

Although it can get complicated by the fact you are separated while living in the same house. This explains i think

https://www.litrg.org.uk/tax-nic/income-tax/high-income-child-benefit-charge/hicbc-issues-separation

Really useful help in regards to the timings. Glad he basically had another year then. Thank you.

If you are separated and living in the same house then he may not be liable for all of it. It depends when in the tax year you split up. Maybe speak to the child benefit helpline

If he refuses to believe you let him make the mistake.

Ohhhhhhh I always thought it was "shit the bed ex husband" like a real dickhead ex 😂🙈

Yours is better 😄 @laalaaleelee

For future reference you can still register for child benefit but opt out of the payments.
https://www.gov.uk/child-benefit-tax-charge/stop-child-benefit

In which case he probably won't need to pay the full amount back, unless he's not making pension contributions at all. Eligibility is calculated based on income after pension deductions, and it's not til 80k after deductions that you get no CB at all.