Can a grandparent open a saving account for their grandchild child without parent knowing?

[Mummy2b2020]

Bit of a strange one but can a grandparent open a bank account for their grandchild without the parent knowing?

I'm guessing they would need a birth certificate? Would they need both parents permission too? Signatures etc?

My delightful controlling mother-in-law is adamant she wants to set up a savings account for our son and keeps hassling us for the birth certificate which I'm guessing is so she can go and set up a bank account!

I have already told her that if she wants to give money towards then she can give it to us and we'll put the money away for him yet still is persistent at chasing us for the birth certificate. I actually find it insulting that she clearly thinks we can't be trusted with the money and is determined to put it into a savings account that he can't touch till he's 18?!

So I wondered if anyone knows can you just set up a savings account for a grandchild without permission from their mother?

Any info would be great!

Back in the 1950s when I was a small child I was taken to see my grandmother once a month (my mother was NC with grandma because of an unwise marriage). At the end of each visit grandma gave me a coin (usually sixpence or a shilling) and told me to spend it on something nice for myself. I naively handed it over to my mother on the belief that she was saving it up for me. How wrong I was! My mother was just adding it to the tiny family budget.

When my grandma found out that my mother had effectively stolen the money she stopped giving me cash and opened a post office savings account for me. I was far too young so my aunt kept it for me and grandma added a shilling every month. When I became old enough it was transferred into my name.

My grandmother never gave my mother cash again. If I needed anything she purchased it rather than let the money be misused by my feckless parent.

My MIL has accounts for all 8 of her grandchildren, which her children have facilitated with copies of BC and signatures were required. My MIL is lovely though & I never had any cause to worry about her actions. We have also opened accounts for them ourselves.

I wonder if this is in general more about your boundaries and perhaps feeling they’re not being respected in other areas that is making this a line in the sand for you. As she’s your MIL, can you just refer her to your other half and let him deal?

My husband and myself want to open a savings account for our grandson who is almost 2 years old, we would like both mine and my husband's name to be as joint names in case something should happen to one of us, but the banks etc will only set the account up in one of our names, does anyone have any advice please

I have a standing order set up to the savings account that ds opened for my dgc.
No-one can touch it until dgc is 18 so its perfectly safe.

Think people are not seeing the bigger picture,from my understanding the in law does not respect boundaries,and this is not the first time.Controlling should give her comment Way and from experience I do understand this lady 100%,good for those of you that do not have a controlling mother in law but some of us do,they think they can go over the mother's head with anything then when the mother gets mad they are made to feel like they are in the wrong..some will open bank accounts then tell their grandchildren what they can use it for,I have one of those types. If you read it says grandchild.If I was you stick to your guns,do not feel pressured .I have an in law that phones schools up to try and get grandchildren in behind my back,changed my grandchildren s bedroom round when I was in hospital twice,takes food off them in their own house because she tells them they could have an heart attack if do not run..Feel for you,and so not let this in law ruin your life,mine is very controlling like yours

I agree just let her? It’s her money and maybe she wants the child to know that the money is from her rather than it just going into the pot and child not knowing in future that his grandma cared enough to put some savings away for him.

Oh… zombie thread that’s been re opened

If OP is still reading, tell DH to deal with this - it’s his mother- and do not hand over your child’s actual birth certificate. A kind relative of mine set up savings account and borrowed the bc and then lost it. I’d given them the actual bc and still have the certified copy of the register entry which has the full details, and which we paid for, but it bothers me that I no longer have the actual bc for my DC1. I know it doesn’t matter legally as the certified copy of the entry is fine (and the relative actually paid for one of these, not realising we already had one) but you can never get the actual bc again and it annoys the hell out of me.

Not in their name without birth certificate.
There are restrictions on tax free savings for children so having multiple accounts can be a pain on that front.

Why is it that grandparents can't have a Birth Certificate to help their grandchild. I am so sick of people like you! Accept the gift and stop being a control freak!

You think she is controlling but you are really controlling. Back off and let her open it. You should be grateful that someone cares about your child and wants to do that for them.