Hi,
I am after a little advice on the following:
I have applied for child benefit to be split between mother and myself. I have been informed this is not possible as it's paid to 1 parent, however I was told by the the child benefit office verbally that if mother and I don't agree on this matter they could make a decision on our behalf. They requested that I fill in the relevant paperwork and write a letter to inform them of our situation - info included in this message. They also said that I stated in this letter that I would be happy to reapply for 1 child and mother to apply for 1 child. Is this correct? Has anyone done this before? Has anyone been successful?
All if the above has now been done and sent along with all the supporting documents.
Mother and I don't communicate apart for children handovers via the CloseApp application.
2 children aged 10 and 13
Court order in place since January 2024 and states the following:
Shared Care Court Order in place on an equal 50/50 basis with equal Parental Responsibility
The children spend 7 nights with me followed by 7 nights with mother. School holidays equally split.
Both parents individually responsible for providing everything for the children (clothes, uniform, tech, toys etc). Both parents contribute 50% of the cost for extra curricular activities for both children. I pay this via bank transfer on the 1st of every month clearly stating what the payment is for.
If the children are ill at any time, they remain with the parents with whom they are in the care of.
Additional info :
No child maintenance is paid after a CMS investigation (mother would not co operate with CMS)
Mother earns approximately £32,000.00 and I earn approximately £24,000.00 per year.
I have ensured that my contact details and address are on Doctors, medical records, school and extracurricular clubs.
Literally everything is split 50/50, however I do know mother will put every hurdle in front of me to avoid this happening
Your advice would be appreciated.