Child Benefit Compliance

pmurphy

Registered User
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We recently returned a child benefit compliance form to the relevant Department in Donegal.

The following month there was no Childrens Allowance payment. Having made a phone call I was told no form had been received and that our payment was to be suspended.

I was told to obtain a copy of letter from childs national school, bills, payslips to prove residency etc and forward them again to the relevant section. All done/posted. No problem.

We have since been told that the payment 'might not be backdated'. We have not received payment since July. We are extremely organised in terms of returning forms etc, I am 100% certain the original form was returned in good time. In fact I remember posting it.

Should I just hope for the best or are Child Benefit Section legally obliged to do anything? If residency etc has been established on what grounds can they refuse payment?

Many thanks
 
Just an update...

We have officially been docked 3 x Months child benefit despite proof of residency.

Any advice?.
 
pmurphy - i feel for you and it makes me angry :mad: how SW goes on like that. i know of 4 people (collegues) who received same form as me with a date on the letter that was two weeks previous. everyone who regularly receives these letters, knows that you have only 21 days to return the form.

i complained to the SW (not just about the date) and their reply only stated, that now i have to fill out these forms every 3 months. :rolleyes:

anyway, because the date on the letter was already from two weeks previous, i posted it by registered post to ensure i have proof it was delivered to them. it's annoying in a way cause it costs you extra but it gave me peace of mind.

if i'd be you, id keep writing/ calling them until you have written confirmation that the CB is reinstated and from then on, always do registered post! good luck.
 
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Has anyone else had this happen to them recently? We just got a letter in saying our child benefit payments have been suspended as we did not return a survey that they sent us a number of months back - the problem is that we never received this survey! From reading up on it I presume they sent us out one of these Child Benefit Compliance forms. Luckily we were not on holidays when we got this letter as it states that we only have 21 days to return the letter along with some documents to prove our residency here - otherwise our benefit would be lost! Whilst I can appreciate the effort to stop benefit fraud, surely this is not the right way to go about it? How can they deny a resident what they are perfectly entitled to, even after they prove that they are entitled to it? And how can they put a timeline of just 21 days from the date on the letter to prove your residency? It smacks of a state desperate to avoid paying what they are obliged to pay out if you ask me!
 
Do you not think the 21 days is there precisely to stop fraudulent claims?

It's there to stop someone forwarding the mail on to the person claiming from abroad illegally.

People give out about waste and the State not cracking down on fraudulent claims, then when they do, the give out again.
 
21 days is not a fair length of time imho Derek. We could easily be on holidays at this time of year. And once the 21 days elapse, my understanding is that you have no right to appeal this. So even if you are perfectly entitled to the benefit as a resident, you could lose out as a result of this.
Just on your question Derek, I can't see how you would think 21 days is going to stop people claiming illegally? A letter can go abroad and back in just 4 days so that's a non argument. You have to prove you are a resident by providing documentation (employers letter, local GP details, utility bill) so this is the proof of residency.
 
we had this misses forgot to post the letter took about 6 months to get back the payments ours was back dated, later they also wanted my 2007 accounts statement which took a while to get, I argued that what has that got to do with child benefit surely children born here working here with an irish parent get the benefit anyway, they had 2006 -2008 -2009 -2010 (which they had i didn't supply any of them) so why do you need 2007, My only thought can be that they have done a review on everyone and so when/if it become means tested they can implement it straight away.

on the up side we have not had a letter in a year from them, It was a big pain, but you can see the need to do it..
 
I got a form in October with a 21 day turn around period. Sent it back on time.

In March, I noticed that I hadn't got my child benefit paid into my account. Called the Section. Apparently they had sent me out the same form again in December (didn't receive it as far as I can tell, but its just possible that my two year old found it before I did and posted it through the cracks in the floorboard - has been known to happen :)). So had cut off my CB.

Was told to get a letter from my employer to prove I was still working in Ireland which I duly did. Four month delay. Finally got CB reinstated this week. Payment was backdated to March. Would have been pretty hard not to do so, as the letter from my employer was dated early March.
 
Anyone whose payment is stopped, or is not backdated, and disputes the circumstances, should appeal.

There are people who are receiving these forms EVERY three months, which is ridiculous and there is concern amongst certain groups of people that they are being unfairly targetted because of a perceived connection with another country. If anyone has such a concern, they should bring their concerns to the equality authority.
 
I've just been told that I'm on a three or four-month cycle - despite being in a full-time permanent PS job (wife from abroad). I do think it is a form of discrimination, particularly against fathers who are from here, who because they have a non-national wife, have to take up their and their employers' time on a regular basis. So I will be going to the equality authority about this.
 
I am a single mum and my child benifit direct debits stopped over a year ago but i have only just noticed. I called the child benifit agency and they told me they had sent me two letters to confirm my address but apparently someone returned them to sender and now they will only back date three months. The unusual thing about this is my single mother friend has also had her CB stopped and has been given the exact same expaination. Has anyone else had the same problem?
 
Where are you based, fifi? Your use of the term "child benefit agency" suggests that you might be in the UK? This is an Irish-based site, so you may not get a reply to your query.

If you are in Ireland, letters are issued regularly to many different customers regardless of their circumstances (single parent or not), and if they are not returned in good time, payments are suspended.
 
Received one of these letters today (30th) but letter is dated the 19th. Says to return within 21 days but has taken 11 days to get to me. Going on holidays next week so lucky to have received it before going.
 
Moving house shortly whats best way to ensure Department has new address for child benefit purposes?
Simply write to department with new address and pps numbers for child and mother?
 
Old thread,but simple enquiry!
On the form,it asks you to fill in the child's school.As my boy has just left 6th class,and is enrolled in a new school for secondary from September, do I fill in the new school?
Edit:if you want to ring them from a mobile and not get hosed on the call charge,use 0749164496 instead.
 
Just received one of these forms today. Do they actually ring the schools / gp to check? Or should I expect a further form for the school to sign?
 
Received the letter yet again as I do every year. Fed up with this waste of taxpayers money !!! Whole family born and leave in Ireland and Irish citizens and still plage us...I suppose they have to find some way af keeping these overpaid government workers in employment.
 
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