can someone open a bank account for a child without parental concent?

tiamai_d

My MIL has acounts for all 3 of my children. She needed the birth certificate and my signature to do so, but as legally she is named on the account (in the childens names), it does not count as savings towards my income at all.

The only time a childs savings counts is if it is the parents saving.

However, knowing my MIL they will have to jump through hoops to get their money when they are old enough. She still refuses to give my DH and his brothers their own birth certificates! We had to take her along to the registry office for her to show it so we could get married!

seven-day-weekend

Why didn't you just get another one?

Agutka

Not a bank account in this case, but we occasionally get letters from the national bonds people - "your son had bonds bought for him by a grandparent" is all it says, so that I suppose you're aware of these should the grandparent pass away without passing on the paperwork. We have no idea how much money they have spent or anything. Nothing to do with us at all.

bestpud

Firstly, she cannot open a normal savings account as far as I am aware. My mum wanted to open an account for my niece and nephew a few years back and was unable to do so without my sister signing the form.

You could always call a building society/bank (any of them) and ask, as a general question... Or just look at the T & Cs on one of the websites...

Secondly, child savings are not taken into account for housing benefit as they belong to the child. You have to declare anything over £3k but it will not affect your benefit in any way.

The only time it does is if it becomes obvious you have squirreled the money away in order to claim and that is very obviously not the case.

Neither can it affect Income Support or WTC. The only benefit it can affect is child tax credit, but again, only if it can be proved you have deliberately placed it there to increase your benefits. That does not apply in your case.

Do a search on the benefit board and you will find posts with all the relevant links (I will look in a minute and post if I can find it).

The SU rep clearly hasn't a clue so went for the safe (I want no comeback) option!! I wish these people would simply say they don't know and help you find the information as that would be far more helpful!

IMO, if it doesn't count for benefits such as IS and HB then it won't for student finance. Have you tried calling SF?