Bar requesting an ex-gratia payment any other tips re backdating a Child Benefit claim for a woman who had a joint bank account but her partner had the only realistic access to details of monies paid into the account.

It transpires the Child Benefit was not paid in for a number of years and they have now seperated - she is very concerned that monies have been lost. She had access to account but in reality did not use it.

Also they moved - would CB have followed up the non reply to a letter sent to the old address/

Thanks in advance

T.J.Lintern

Would it actually be a backdated claim though?

From what you say it sounds like there was already a claim in payment but for some reason it stopped.

Do you know why the CB stopped in the first place?

Nicky

The reason it stopped was the lack of response to correspondence from Chld Benefit.

What was the reason for the correspondence? Was the child coming up to 16 for example?

Hi

Did you resolve this issue for client. I have a client who had her child benefit stopped 2 years ago but did not realise until recently. She has contacted CHB who have told her it is because they did not know her address! This client has moved several times as she has been living in rented properties often with short-term tenancies.

My client has been in full-time work and was not aware she needed to contact CHB as she still has her 8 year old daughter living with her and had not checked the payment of CHB into the account as the CHB had been getting paid into a bank account which was used specifically for the payment of the CHB only (the client was saving this money for her daughter's future education).

CHB have told this client to claim CHB again but have told her she can only request 3 months backdating.

I would appreciate your thoughts as I am unaware that not knowing where the client was currently living would be reason to revise the decision and stop payment of CHB.

Sue

Your client needs to be careful. This accumulated benefit needs to be declared as capital for any means-tested benefit purposes. It doesn't on its own cause a problem (especially if it hasn't been pid for 2 years).

(There's a similar problem for people who save up a child's DLA asthis could affect the personal allowance for that child).