Child Benefit Claim Disallowed -HELP?!

hammy.nibble

Hi all

Put in a claim for CB for some relatives' children who were living with me for a few months, but have just learnt that it has been 'disallowed'. No reason given and despite numerous calls to Helpline and promises of calls back from the relevant Dept. I am yet to speak to anyone who can offer an explanation.

Social Services 'informally' approved the placement with me, but as I was related would offer no financial support. I have received not a penny from parents of said children (who don't see them) and have provided them with everything that they needed (they came with nothing). This has cost thousands.:eek: I can't see how the claim was not allowed.

Anyone have any ideas?

p00hsticks

Just a guess, but are the parents still receiving it ? I may be wrong but I have a feeling that one party needs to notify the autohrities that they are happy to give it up before a second party can start to receive it .....

hammy.nibble

They shouldn't have been (out of country for 8 1/2 years & children collected by me at airport). I have a feeling they may have been though -seems that they were using another relatives address to claim Tax Credits whilst abroad (don't get me started on that one).

If they were/are claiming, would CB really 'disallow' without trying to determine who the children are with?

dazza.mk

Correct, I initially applied for Child Benefit for my daughter, and when we applied again in my wife's name (so she would get Home Responsibilities Protection) I had to include a letter saying I was dropping my claim in her favour.

hammy.nibble

If that it is the only likely reason then it seems that parent was claiming CB whilst living abroad, as otherwise mine would have been the only claim for the children. Is that even allowed?

Also, if CB contact claiming parent & parent fails to respond to confirm children are no longer with them, then do they continue to pay non-caring parent indefinately? (?sp)

Given parents' general lack of morality, I would imagine that they would not willingly sign the money over to me.

RAS

Hi
you might find Mooloo's thread helpful https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/1736271 and maybe send her a PM?

HAve you consider reporting the parents for benfit fraud? That might free up the situation?

hammy.nibble

I have debated reporting the fraud, but who will it benefit? I really don't want to be the person responsible for the children's parent/s being sent to prison, as I am assuming that 8 1/2 years of claiming is unlikely to result in a polite request for repayment.

Every ounce of my being is disgusted with what they seem to have done. To think that we all work so hard for others to claim money they're not entitled to makes me sick.

Rant over (lol!) ...going to look at the other thread now RAS -thanks!

hammy.nibble

Can anyone else offer any ideas as to other reasons why this claim would have been disallowed?

Tulip09

If you can provide a letter from the childrens social worker stating what day they became your responsibility the CB office will reverse the decision and pay you the backdated money.

Whilst i wont go into details exactly i have seen this situation previously but the person who had since been claiming it on behalf of the child was actually social services and not the parents as had been suspected.

hammy.nibble

Social Services approved their living with me, but this was never done in any formal way. They are teenagers, so SS effectively said that it was better that they be with me, that the children could 'vote with their feet' and left us to it. The Social Worker who dealt with things initially went on Mat Leave and no one has been 'appointed' in her place. No home visit was ever arranged (I took the girls to be interviewed at SS Offices) and no input/help has been given since then. I doubt very much if SS are claiming anything for them.

Tulip09 -I asked SS to provide a letter that I could send with my Child Ben application, but they said that CH Ben would contact them if they needed to (I included details on the application form). I may try SS again to see if they can provide something in writing & will try sending that to Ch Ben.

Without a reason for 'disallowing', I feel at a total loss as to what to offer Ch Ben.

RAS

if you read Mooloo's thread I think she is not paid CB because the child is placed by SS. However she gets an allowance of some sort.