Child benefit entitlement?

[Choccyhobnob]

Can anyone help me out? Whilst trying to work out my finances I've been working under the impression that I wouldn't get any child benefit or tax credits or anything due to DH's income. This is fine but my mum and sister and DH's friends (and his uncle's dog it seems) keep saying "but EVERYONE is entitled to child benefits! It doesn't matter how much you earn!!"

So I went on the website to check it out and it says that for incomes over £50k you have to pay a high wage tax or something which works out to be every single penny of the child benefit so it looks like I was right?

Like I said I don't mind, I've just never claimed for anything before and I can't be bothered with all the form filling if we have to do more form filling to pay it all back etc?

Can anyone advise?

Thanks

You can still claim it and your dh accounts for it in his tax return.
Very important to claim it Imo as it gives you some protection re your future state pension. Not sure of the exact details tho.

You can claim child benefit and opt our of the payment if you earn over £60K. (between £50 and £60K you would have to pay some back)

opting in protects your NI contributions.

I mean claiming it protects your NI but you don't need to take the payment

Is that actually true? I thought another way of tracking NI contributions was meant to be found - though I do remember the press on the issue when the law changed.

Yes, register for Child Benifit, as it protects some of your state pension entitlement.
If anyone in the house is guarenteed to earn over 60K for each tax year, it is simpler then to opt out of receiving the money, if you and DH share money equally.
If your taxable pay is less than 60K, but more than 50K, you get to keep a proportion of the Childbenifit.
If both individuals earn under 50K (taxable) per year, you will get full child benifit (about 20/week for the first child)

I have opted in but don't take the payments. This way state pension and NI contributions are tracked.
Between £50-60k earnings you are entitled to something I believe, over £60k is £0 (by the time you take it and then it's claimed back in tax).

Once you get the forms - usually after the birth, it does become clearer.

Well his basic pay would be less than £60k but he has bonuses (which are dependent on targets etc obviously so don't know how much he will or won't get) would push it over the £60k cap. Neither of us has ever filled in a tax return in our lives! Would strike the fear of God into DH I think if he ever had to fill one in, wouldn't know where to start!

So we should claim it but opt out of the payments then basically? So we don't see anything out of it but it shows that we are still paying NI or something?

Thanks Paz, hopefully it will become clearer!

The lower earner/non earner should claim the child benefit as they then protect their NI credits until the child is age 12. As said before you can claim CB but opt out of the payment

We've never filled in tax returns either (both on PAYE), and last year have bought a rental property, so we will need to next year. We have found an accountant who only charges £120 to look after it all on our behalf - worth considering if you do end up needing to!?

I believe this is the form I filled in, you fill it in as though you were claiming, but in Section 4 shows you declare that you don't want payment and but that you want to protect your state pension.

www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/359765/ch2-flat.pdf

You then get written confirmation.

Does this ruling affect the existing child benefit payments for a child born in 2007? Or is it a new ruling for children born after a certain date?

It affects all children.

And if you are not working, or receiving another benefit which gives an NI credit, it is important you claim. This maintains your NI record until your youngest child turns 11.

It affects all children regardless of when they were born. My 2 are aged 11 and 8 and when it all changed I opted out of the payment as dh earns too much.

Thanks for the clarifications.

I earn £53k - I have to pay back £212 from that per year