Can a grandparent receive child benefit?

mjgr

I am a grandparent who is giving my son and daughter-in-law a regular amount to help provide for their child (£30 a week).
Neither my son or daughter-in-law claim for child benefit (as their income is more than £60,000)
However I have read that I may be able to claim child benefit because of my contributions.
Is this true?

Many thanks.

sammyjammy

No its not true, I believe you are mixing this up with claiming child benefit NI credits if you are caring for said grandchild.

calcotti

If you are contributing money towards them it appears you may be able to claim Child Benefit
https://www.gov.uk/child-benefit/eligibility

You normally qualify for Child Benefit if you’re responsible for a child under 16 (or under 20 if they stay in approved education or training) and you live in the UK.

You’ll usually be responsible for a child if you live with them or you’re paying at least the same amount as Child Benefit (or the equivalent in kind) towards looking after them, for example on food, clothes or pocket money.

sammyjammy

I don't believe that would apply when the parents are exempt via high earnings/its not the grandparents child otherwise anyone that was exempt via High income would do it!

calcotti

sammyjammy said:

I don't believe that would apply when the parents are exempt via high earnings/its not the grandparents child otherwise anyone that was exempt via High income would do it!

That's a good point. 

mjgr

Many thanks for all your comments.
I thought it would be odd if I could claim child benefit for my grandchild but in the Child Benefit section of moneysaving expert.com under Child benefit FAQs - Can I claim for someone else's child? is written "If you contribute at least the weekly value of child benefit towards taking care of a child, you could claim for them."
I also contacted the Child Benefit section at HMRC and they told me that they could not tell me if I could claim child benefit or not and suggested I applied for it (and see what happens).

calcotti

This is what the Child Benefit manual says
https://www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/child-benefit-technical-manual/cbtm06010

For a person to be entitled to Child Benefit for a child or qualifying young person for any week they must be responsible for the child or qualifying young person in that week. See CBTM07010 for the meaning of child/qualifying young person.

A person is treated as being responsible for a child or qualifying young person in any week where

• they have the child or qualifying young person living with them in that week

or

• they are contributing to the cost of providing for the child or qualifying young person at a weekly rate not less than the weekly rate of Child Benefit payable in respect of that child or qualifying young person for that week

tomtom256

I think that is aimed more at none resident parents who may still qualify for child benefit and not a grandparent who is gifting £30, as their is no legal requirement for a grandparent to contribute to the cost of providing for their grand child. Certainly not if the actual parents of the child earnt too much to qualify themselves.

sheramber

You fail the first part. You are not responsible for the child, the parents are.

calcotti

sheramber said:

You fail the first part. You are not responsible for the child, the parents are.

That is logical but nonetheless the guidance says

”A person is treated as being responsible for a child or qualifying young person in any week where...they are contributing to the cost of providing for the child or qualifying young person at a weekly rate not less than the weekly rate of Child Benefit payable in respect of that child or qualifying young person for that week”

Grumpy_chap

There is a further part that covers the situation where more than one person makes the financial contribution:
https://www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/child-benefit-technical-manual/cbtm06090

I won't pretend to try to interpret that, but if the Grandparent is to be the responsible person, it would need to require a written nomination of the Grandparent as being responsible.

Logic says that there must be something somewhere that prevents this as a way of circumventing the HICBIC restrictions. Otherwise, everyone would do it, as SammyJammy said.

I can also imagine, if the Grandparent is the nominated person (in writing) responsible for the child it could have repercussions in other areas. 
Inheritance is one obvious area (if the Grandparent dies while the child still receives child benefit, if the child a dependant and entitled to sufficient provision irrespective of the will?)
If the Grandparent is nominated in writing as the responsible person for the child, does that mean relinquishing responsibility by the parents?  Who then has the final say in the event of a schooling or medical decision?