Suspended child benefit and the cost of school trips

Money Box

BBC

Business

4.2 • 804 Ratings

🗓️ 6 December 2025

⏱️ 25 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

MPs on the Treasury Select Committee are seeking answers from HMRC after thousands of parents have had their child benefit stopped because they took a holiday abroad. The mistakes happened during a fraud crackdown on people emigrating from the UK but still claiming the benefit for their children.

Now, among all the financial pressures of recent years the costs faced by parents for school trips has continued to go up. And it's not just a cause for concern for parents, but also for school governors. The body which represents them in England, the National Governance Association, has told Money Box that schools should try to help parents with these costs to ease the growing financial pressures many feel.

Plus, a big change is underway aimed at helping victims of domestic violence in financial trouble. And we continue to look at Budget issues raised by listeners. This week it’s potential changes to council tax. Speculation suggests that the two highest bands, and the way bands are decided, could be subject to change later this month.

Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Eimear Devlin Editor: James Graham Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson

Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts.
0:07.0	My Christmas Mix is pure 90s festive nostalgia.
0:11.1	You know, the Christmas songs you listen to on repeat.
0:14.0	Ho!
0:14.3	Ho! Ho! No, no, no.
0:17.5	I'm all about the big hitting Christmas anthems.
0:20.4	Come on, guys. What about those tunes that really slay?
0:23.7	It's Christmas kitchen disco season, surely.
0:26.4	Give me hip-hip-christmas bangers every day. Those Christmas tracks that are straight out of Lapland.
0:30.9	Get all kinds of Christmassy. Just search Christmas music on BBC Sounds.
0:35.7	Hello, welcome to this Moneybox podcast.
0:38.6	The rising costs of school trips are causing parents and schools' difficulties,
0:43.5	what can be done to help.
0:45.3	Victims of domestic violence who seek help from their debts
0:48.4	no longer have to pay to hide their name and address from their abusive ex.
0:53.0	And will your home be taxed more, as the
0:55.3	Chancellor admits she plans to raise more money from taxes? But first, HM Revenue and Customs has
1:02.0	told Moneybox it's reviewing every decision to strip child benefit from 23,500 parents after using
1:09.9	travel data to conclude they they left the country permanently.
1:13.9	Normally, child benefit runs out after eight weeks living outside the UK.
1:18.1	But it's become clear that thousands of parents had their money stopped after they just went on holiday,
1:23.8	many for a short time, like Eve, who went on a five-day break with her son to New York.
	...

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