Child Benefit Tax -- do you return/not claim the money if you don't need it ? honestly want to know

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Hi

im my post pregnancy addled brain, i filled in a form about child benefit i.e. the one that's about £30 per week, which goes up a bit with more than one child. So without even thinking about it, this goes into our account i think this is the one that everyone is entitled to.

For those that feel they do not need this -- ie. that money is best used for those who need it more - have you given it back or asked to be taken out of the list of recipients?

I guess my way of thinking is that for families who don't need it, leave more money in the pot for those that will need it because it's going to be tough times ahead -- i know the higher rate goes up to 50%, but i still think there would be families that will still be comfortably off

i am just trying to think if it's one of those things that people have felt entitled to even if they don't need it.....

We don't need it. I am not principled enough to not accept it.

BUT I do support it being means-tested so that my family would lose it.

that was quite a muddled answer I gave! hope it made sense.

I would happily go without if I had a say in where it was re-routed.

i don't need it
but they take enough from us that i'm not going to actively hand it back for them then to waste it.

i would rather pass it on to a friend/family member who would benefit more. but i don't.

i just figured since means testing is quite expensive, people should means test themselves.....
we are still claiming it, have only really thought about this now as i read through fears of cuts in those that need most support and i just think this is one of those things that actually, we shouldn't be entitled to

I think you should claim it.

While on the front its 'free cash' for anyone with kids, it actually becomes more complicated than that.

If you are claiming CB then you dont 'loose' years of NI contributions andyour right to a state pension.

Without CB you cant claim child tax credits, which in the futue you may need to and having to start claiming CB first when you are in a bad financial situation is not a delay you would want.

Claiming CB also has implications re. custody arrangements/parental responsibility and so many other things that crop up later in kids life

if you really want to help another family, you could set up a charitable monthly direct debit to the same amount to the charity of your choice. Effectively, you would be redistributing it to people you think are more deserving.

You should take the money that you are entitled to; if you think someone else would be better off by you donating that money to them, give it to them.

ah, this is all very positive ideas, thank you. i will speak to DH tonight and come up with a few ideas.

No. I wouldn't object if it were taken away but until then will claim and save it just in case.

We don't strictly need it, it gets paid into a savings account. But it was the accumulation of it that meant we could have a new boiler when ours gushed water all over the kitchen last year and gave up the ghost. We would have had serious difficulty getting that replaced if we hadn't had that as a buffer to help us out. We treat it as 'household money', ie it's there if we need it for something around the house. It also subs Christmas some years.

I guess also that it does subsidise the charity DDs we have set up in that if we didn't have it, we would have to look at what other money we could put into that savings account - had never thought of it that way, though.

On the other hand, we don't need the (small amount) of child tax credit we are apparently entitled to, and I have never bothered to claim that, even when both the children were very small.

Littleducks makes an important - in claiming CB, mothers are credited for the purpose of NI and your entitlement to a state pension in the future. Without this, you could find holes in your NI history and a lesser entitlement to pension payments in the future especially if you don't work.

So it is worth claiming - but plenty I know stash it away for their kids, or donate some/all to a kids charity....I am much less altruistic and it mainly goes on stuff for the kids (treats, swimming lessons etc)!

I make a point in life never to turn down free money. My CB goes into a savings account and my son will get it when he's 18. Downpayment on tuition fees, maybe.