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Money Moral Dilemma: Should my partner contribute to us repaying Child Benefit?

MSE_Kelvin
MSE_Kelvin Posts: 375 MSE Staff
Seventh Anniversary 10 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
edited 13 February 2024 pm29 5:04PM in Child support
This week's MoneySaver who wants advice asks...

Over the past few years, I've been adding more and more to my workplace pension to keep my net income under £50,000, so my partner can keep receiving Child Benefit without having to repay any of it. But now I'd need to pay 26% of my salary into my pension, which I feel is too much at 39 - so I've stopped increasing it and have been repaying some Child Benefit. Yet my partner also works and the only joint thing she pays for is half of our weekly food shopping. Should I ask her to contribute to the amount I'm repaying or do I keep increasing my pension?

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Comments

  • elsien
    elsien Posts: 35,095 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    I would suggest comparative earnings and other costs also come into this equation.
    Anyway, surely you as a family receive child benefit whoever’s bank account it ends up in?


    And how does your partner’s pension look in comparison to yours? 

    All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.

    Pedant alert - it's could have, not could of.
  • Of course she should pay. You're in a partnership aren't you? Or should she be a kept woman? If she values equality she would volunteer to pay. 
  • We did not pay equally for family expenditure.

    My partner had reduced income due to working 3 out of 5 days.
    I paid a much greater share of everything to compensate for her income sacrifice. 
    My excess contributions were greater than the income that she sacrificed - though I quite liked the idea that we could all afford to eat out together and go on holiday together 😀
  • tacpot12
    tacpot12 Posts: 9,028 Forumite
    Ninth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    If thee only joint thing she pays for is food, then you need a bigger discussion. She should be paying something towards Council Tax, Water Rates, Gas, Electric, TV licence, Broadband, wear and tear on the appliances and house, etc. 

    As others have said, it is for each couple to work out their own budgets. I'm lucky in that my partner has the same income as me, so we can pay half the bills, but in a situation where her income is much lower, the only fair system I have come across is one that leaves you both with the same spending money after all the bills are paid. This might result in you paying all the bills, but at least you have had the discussion and agreed that it is fair. 

    I think that the only reason you want her to contribute to the child benefit repayment is that she isn't paying enough, such that you are being left with less spending money than she is. 
    The comments I post are my personal opinion. While I try to check everything is correct before posting, I can and do make mistakes, so always try to check official information sources before relying on my posts.
  • If she's only paying half of the groceries she has a very good deal. I think you need to look at the whole picture of your finances. I would always assume I should contribute to the household according to the ratio of salaries. Reducing her income (by asking her to repay some of the CB) because yours has increased seems wrong. I certainly don't think you should pay such an enormous sum into your pension - isn't the CB repayment far smaller, so you would still be winning if you continued to make the repayment yourself? I think her pension should be topped up, you paying a proportion according to the income ratio at that time, if she did miss out on contributions when she was on maternity leave. We have so little of the whole picture here, but what you suggest certainly isn't fair to her, despite her making only a small percentage contribution to all bills. I assume she does undertake more of the childcare so this arrangement is in lieu of such fees, though most parents don't expect financial recompense for caring for their own offspring.
  • I’m presuming the child(ren) she was receiving child benefit for aren’t your children. Maybe there’s therefore more to this financial situation and that’s why she pays little of the joint costs. If not, surely she could contribute more, you could continue to pay a lot into your pension (you may really need that if she’s not earning much), and she can still get child benefit? You surely know where her income is going, but if not, you really need to talk. 
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