liverpool girl

I notified the child benefit office (over the phone) that we were moving to Oz about a month prior to our move in June 06. However, I have recently noticed that they are still paying child benefit into our UK account. Has anyone else had this problem? Does anyone know whether I will have to pay back the amount I have received since leaving the UK if I call them and ask them to stop payments? They will probably ask when we left the UK and so I presume we would have to pay it back.

Wendy

When we left we got a deposit from them two weeks later, when I rang them they said it was what they owed me up until the date we left.

Moonwalker

yes..........you answered your own question they will want the money back they over paid you as they will take it from the day you left the UK

Mrs Jackaroo

Yep they'll want it back. Just keep it in your account gaining interest until they ask for it!

happy chappy

Like yourself we phoned and asked for payments to be stopped and asked if anything else needed to be done and were told no. We are still receiving payments nearly three months later. They are basically incompetent and don't seem to be able to ever get it right.

We were overpaid tax credits a couple of years ago but because we told them and they hadn't taken any action within a certain time we didn't have to pay it back.

I am just keeping the money in my account without spending it and will pay it back when they ask for it.

Good luck with it as you need all the luck you can get when dealing with tax credits.

shade8

I know people here who never stopped child benifit and even fly back home every few years with that cash.
No wonder the UK is in such a mess gives money to everyone who lands in the country and even lets the people leaving have it also.

sj oldfield

Your notification is probably sitting in someones 'in' tray waiting action.
Ever worked for them?? Probably no.............they are completely overworked, and face staff cutbacks all the time Believe me!!
I worked as a manager for The Benfits Agency and at one point my staff had 10,000 letters, all needing to be worked on, stockpiled in filing cabinets as they just didnt have the man power to work on them.
It was a nightmare!!

Pollyana

Ever thought of notifying the child benefit people?

shiels

Good luck with it as you need all the luck you can get when dealing with tax credits.[/QUOTE]

How true................................ C x

sme

Now Polly, you should know that no-one likes a dobber

jopaul

hi there you are asking the question that is bugging me at the moment. i knew we would have to notify them, but as we were still going to pay basic stamp ( in case we ever had to come back) and we were not legal australian citizens for 3 years. but some one has just informed me that thats for state pensions not benefits sorry my mistake. i will be informing them when i am about to leave. but if they keep paying i think it will have to be paid back. it happen to a friend with the tax credits and she told them lots of times. it just another thing to sort out before i go.

Amazulu

National Insurance is used to pay for state pensions.
Child benefit comes out of general taxation.
If you do not live in the UK why would you be entitles to benefits?
Benefits are not a right.

jopaul

thanks for clearing that up then!

Speargun

the whole system is a complete shambles!! Its no wonder there is so much fraud in the system...for the honest people on here are just the tip of the iceberg....I think there are plenty of people abusing the system!! One of the reasons why we will have to work till 68 to pay for this governments incompetance!!! We explained that we were overpaid...they insisted it was right ....until 6months later when we got told to pay it all back - we were lucky and cud afford to do so...I feel for the people who carnt!!! roll on my visa and let me escape the nitemare UK

Nick11

A word of warning.My little sis is an associate director with experian and she is working with the government on how they can stop this.From April 2008 experian will be tracking your benifits.Everything you do will leave a mark - no matter where in the world you are i.e mortgage payments, credit card purchases. They will then correlate this with the info they have on you.It will be easier to stop false claims.As she knows we're off to oz, I asked her, if big brother would know if we were still claiming things such as child benifit.She said they would and they'll catch a lot of people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!