Cuts to Child Benefit = Cuts to State Pension qualifying years?

[NeverendingStoryteller]

I was wondering if someone can help me with a question - I registered for Child Benefit because I want the time I spend at home with my children to be properly recognised by the state and because I want these years at home to still count towards my state pension entitlement. If I no longer qualify for child benefit because of my husband's income, does this mean that I am no longer accumulating years of 'eligible work' towards my state pension? Does anyone know about this? If nobody else knows, I will try to find out and will report back - is anyone else interested in this issue?

I'm very interested. I'm very worried. So I'll lose £134 a month and have to fork out for a private pension?

Disgraceful beyond words.

No-one is really sure how this is going to work yet and we will have to wait for the rules to come out. It is possible that the child benefit will still be paid out and thereby the Home Responsibility Protection will still accumulate to the stay at home parent and then it will be taxed on the higher rate taxpayer and thereby take back the child benefit but not the HRP.

The old rules for HRP already changed on 5 April 2010 - now you only get credit for a child up to the age of 12 here.

Hardly anyone has raised this and I think it is a very important point. I don't know but would like to know very much if you find out. thanks.

Sam100 - thank you for your really helpful response and the link!

I'll ask my local (bloody Conservative - sorry) MP and will see if I can find out anything.

I want to highlight this - it seems like many women will be hit by a double whammy if the rules change further.

Will report back - thanks for your interest.

Hi there,

I'm worried about this too and I have emailed my MP about it. He has written to the Department of Work and Pensions about it and will let me know their response in due course.

Sam100 please can you explain to me the thing about only getting credit to age 12 after April 2010 with regards to my family - I have a two children, one born before April 2010 and one born after 2010, because I have one born before April 2010 will I get pension credit till the first one is 16 and then pension credit till the second one is only 12? Thank you

Back with link in a tick...

ta da!

There is an accountant on the linked thread answering lots of FAQ's.

I think you claim the Child Benefit in your name then your DH pays more tax after completing a self assessment.

Just a note for anyone who is a carer for a disabled child (as I am). As I understand it, even if you don't qualify for Carer's allowance you can still claim national insurance credits as a carer.

From what I understand, you need to continue to claim your CB.
It is your DH's responsibility to declare that you are claiming CB on his Tax Self Assessment. Then the taxman will take the money back from his income so that you as a family are no better off for having the CB. But the fact that you are claiming it means that your NI stamp is paid until your youngest is 12 and therefore some of your state pension entitlement is protected.
Don't just say "Oh well DH is a higher rate taxpayer so there is no point in claiming".

Exactly what Kat says - please keep claiming and it will be claimed back by the tax return.

I think it is best to continue to claim it. I will even though as a single mother who works full time I will lose it all. It is no problem to have it clawed back as long as you haven't spent it.

I suspect I read they propose if you register for it but do not claim it (a good few people already do that as they don't need the money) then that credit continues to you but you might as well claim the lot and then let your other half pay it back once a year or through his tax code.