# Should i claim what i am entitled to?



## samanthajane (15 May 2009)

I know this seems like a silly question asking should i claim something if i am entitled to it. I want to claim because the extra money will help, but i would survived on what i have if i had never found out i could claim this extra money. 

Bascially i live in newry and i travel down to dublin to work and to take my children to school.

I only found out yesterday that i am entitled to claim child benefit and FIS, i have contact both these offices as i wasn't sure if it was true and they have confirmed that i can claim for both of these on top of what i receive from the UK. 

From england i recieve £130 a month in child benefit which is approx €146, and i get £168 a week in child and working tax credit, which is approx €188, plus wages of €134 a week. 

So by my calculations ( might not be 100% but there abouts) if i claim, i will recieve €180 in child benefit each month and €160 a week in FIS payments. That will add up to an extra €820 a month. 

On one side i feel that if i can get by ( and by get by i mean survive i'm far from flush ) then maybe i shouldn't claim. And on the other side every person working here in Ireland that has children in another E.U country can claim this without their children even stepping on irish ground, so why shouldn't I? 

What are people's opinions on this?


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## irishlinks (15 May 2009)

I am 99.9% certain that you can't claim child benefit in both NI and here. You may be able to claim here OR NI - but not both.


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## samanthajane (15 May 2009)

I'm 100% certain that i can, i wont get the full amount but what i get from the UK will be taken away from the republic Cb rate and i will recieve the balance. 

*Child Benefit and EU Regulations*

*EU/EEA citizens* and Swiss nationals *working* in *Ireland*, satisfy the habitual residence condition for Child Benefit.
If you are an EU/EEA citizen or a Swiss national and work in a country covered by EU Regulations, the country you work in usually pays Child Benefit *even if* your family is living in another country. However, if your children are living in another EU/EEA country you should still apply for any Family Benefits you are entitled to there. 
If the Family Benefit you get in the country your children are living is less than the Child Benefit payment here, your Irish Child Benefit payment will make up the difference. For more information on how EU rules affect Child Benefit, contact the Child Benefit Section (see 'Where to apply' below). 
Countries covered by EU Regulations are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom (excluding the Channel Islands).


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## irishlinks (15 May 2009)

What I meant was you won't get the full amount from both places. 
Take a look at this site - it seems to have all the info you need. [broken link removed]
Looks like you should be getting CB from the Republic (only)  and the FIS / working tax credit may be combined but it's not very clear on those.

Don't worry about claiming it - you are working here and entitled to it.


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## Guest110 (15 May 2009)

If this is something that you are entitled too and it is all above board, then I dont see why you dont apply for it. The government might be happy if you dont apply - but they are claiming for every small little thing, so we should be no different. The money that you dont need you can save and you might then need it in the future. Maybe put it in a nest egg for your childrens education - maybe in 20 years time, all education from all age levels will have to be fully paid for by the parents !


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## samanthajane (15 May 2009)

irishlinks said:


> What I meant was you won't get the full amount from both places.
> Take a look at this site - it seems to have all the info you need. [broken link removed]
> Looks like you should be getting CB from the Republic (only) and the FIS / working tax credit may be combined but it's not very clear on those.


 
I took a look at that site and it does say the opposite to what i was told from the CB office in the republic. How 2 well know information sites can say totally different things i'll never know.  

The borderpeople site say i should only claim from the republic, and the CB office said my payment from the UK will be topped up to the republic rate and i will still receive the UK payment. Dont suppose it would matter either way as i'd still be recieve the same amount which every way they do it.


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## allthedoyles (15 May 2009)

Look Samantha , no need to feel guilty .If you are entitled to an entitlement , then claim it .

The society we live in , dictates that everybody is entitled to claim their entitlements .

Of course there are many people here claiming entitlements that they are not entitled to. 

Go to the appropriate office , fill in the appropriate paperwork , give good honest answers to all, and you will receive an appropriate answer in due course .

And the answer will be either you are entitled or you are not entitled


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## Odea (18 Jun 2009)

samanthajane said:


> I know this seems like a silly question asking should i claim something if i am entitled to it. I want to claim because the extra money will help, but i would survived on what i have if i had never found out i could claim this extra money.
> 
> Bascially i live in newry and i travel down to dublin to work and to take my children to school.
> 
> ...


 
I'm amazed that you have this type of thinking here yet in another posting you are suggesting that someone who has €20k in savings should not be entitled to collect social welfare.


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