Family allowance payments. Who gets them?

[ratbagt74]

I am divorced from my husband and we have 2 children. We have a court order for shared residency and the children live with me for half a week and him and his new partner for the other half of the week. I don't live with a partner, my ex husband gets maintenance off me and also the family allowance and working families tax.
is this right? Am I not entitled to half of the family allowance and also should i really still be paying him maintenance. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Psychick]

The best place you can go to for advice on these things is your local Citizens Advice Bureau.

You should come to some arrangement to split the family allowance as you both have the children equally. Im curious as to know whether he has stated on his tax credits claim that he has the children part time. I personally think he should not be asking you for maintenance. Why does he do this and how long has he been doing so? If anything, he should be paying you maintenance as he is the one making financial claims.

[B00]

Errr no, I'd say it isn't right!

Why do you pay maintenance to him when you have the children half of the week?

You need to sit down with him and discuss (civilly if possible) a reasonable amount for you to have to help support your children. If he won't then you're going to have to go down the legal route.

Good luck!

[bednobs]

why wasnt this sorted witht he court order/divorce?

[zzxxee]

there are seven days in a week so it depends who has the children for the 4 days the family allowence should go to that parent as they have the majority custody

[sara3]

well I have 2 kids who spend half their time with their dad. he gets Child Benefit for one, and I get it for the other. we were straight with the Child Benefit Centre, and that was their decision.

you really need some good legal advice about your other issues. unless you're an executive director, and he collects the trolleys in Tesco's car park, something is seriously wrong!

[ratbagt74]

Thanks for all your answer. i have gone down the legal route on various issues and after spending thousands of pounds I feel like I have now come to stale mate and an empty pot. I can't get any financial assistance due to having an investment that is tied up for a couple of years.
You are better off having no job and claiming on the system and then you get all the help you need with Solicitors. If that was the case I would be consistantly on the phone.
Talking civil is not an option on my his side, he even asks the children to ask me things.They are like his little soldiers being used in his war. He needs to grow himself a spine.
In answer to the query of whether he declared to the tax credit that he only has them half the week then I very much doubt it.

[zzxxee]

is there no way you could have them mon to fri and he has them weekends he would deffo need to pay towards them then or have them alternate weeks then that really is 50 50 custody and financial responsibility should be equal