Child benefit advice required

jimmyg_73

Through laziness / neglect, I have not informed HMRC of our child leaving full time education. After discussing with partner and friends, I now realise I must inform HMRC online. However I'm apprehensive after reading about penalties / backdated charges. Does anyone have any experience of this? Will the charges be taken in a lump sum? Or will they be taken through taxes? My son left full time education over a year ago so there's quite a lot of backdated payments.

Flugelhorn

Some years back for us but I think they noticed when child got to certain age and contacted us - did you get a notification from them?

marcia_

jimmyg_73 said:

Through laziness / neglect, I have not informed HMRC of our child leaving full time education. After discussing with partner and friends, I now realise I must inform HMRC online. However I'm apprehensive after reading about penalties / backdated charges. Does anyone have any experience of this? Will the charges be taken in a lump sum? Or will they be taken through taxes? My son left full time education over a year ago so there's quite a lot of backdated payments.

 As above HMRC generally write asking you to update your child's education shortly before statutory school leaving age or your payment will stop. If you didn't inform them the child was staying in education your payments stop. Did you inform them? 

jimmyg_73

Flugelhorn said:

Some years back for us but I think they noticed when child got to certain age and contacted us - did you get a notification from them?

Yes got notification. Child was in full time education then, (which I notified them of) but dropped out of college and is now in a paid apprenticeship. I imagined they would periodically contact us to ask if child was still in full time education, but not received anything.

tacpot12

HMRC will ask for any overpayment as a lump sum, but you can ask for a payment plan on the basis that you can't afford to repay the amount owed in one go.

You can also consider taking out a personal loan if you don't want to discuss your financial situation with HMRC. 

marcia_

 Is an apprenticeship not classed as education? 

Flugelhorn

marcia_ said:

 Is an apprenticeship not classed as education? 

only in Wales I think - I mean you can get CB but can't in England