# Child Benefit from 2 Countries.



## dodo (28 Aug 2008)

If one parent is working in one EU Country  and another parent working in another EU Country , can they both claim child benefit for same child .Is there anyway that child benefit can be claimed legally from two different Countries.


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## cleverclogs7 (28 Aug 2008)

wow.dont think thats possible.as far as i know the child should be with/in the same country as the person whos claiming the benifit.


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## Bubbly Scot (28 Aug 2008)

dodo said:


> If one parent is working in one EU Country and another parent working in another EU Country , can they both claim child benefit for same child .Is there anyway that child benefit can be claimed legally from two different Countries.


 
Legally, you can only claim from one country for one child. How this is enforced I don't know but when I started claiming in Ireland they notified my country of origin even though I stopped claiming there the day I left.


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## asdfg (28 Aug 2008)

AFAIA, the payment is made where the child resides. If both parents are working in 2 different EU countries the difference in CB is paid by the better paying country to the welfare section of where the child is resident. One payment is made effectivelly that of the better paying country.


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## Black Sheep (29 Aug 2008)

Child Benefit is paid by the country in which the parent pays PRSI though it is not necessary for the child to reside in the same country. In Ireland child benefit is paid to mothers but can be paid to fathers only with the consent of the mother. 
In Ireland as soon as father applies for child benefit for a child living in another country mother is contacted by SW and requested to stop claiming benefit in her own country. There is then a long waiting period (up to 2 years) in which no child benefit is being paid by either country. Finally when all is sorted out arrears are paid


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## FredBloggs (29 Aug 2008)

Was it only ancedotal or is it true that a large number of non Eu immigrants who have come here in recent years are getting paid child benefit for their children back home?  this is often told to me as an example of the government wasting tax payers money as there is no proof that the children exist.  I'm just wondering is it true?


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## gipimann (29 Aug 2008)

The payment of Child Benefit to children not residing here only applies to EEA nationals who have one parent working in Ireland.   As Black Sheep said, there are lengthy checks made to see if Child Benefit is paid in the residing country before payment is made from Ireland.

Non-EEA nationals claiming Child Benefit must satisfy the Habitual Residence Condition (essentially show that they intend staying here, setting up home, etc), must present a Green Card or other evidence of being legally in the state, and the child(ren) must also reside here.


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## ClubMan (29 Aug 2008)

Might be of interest:

* CitizensInformation - Social welfare system in Ireland 
*


> *Universal payments*
> 
> Universal payments are paid regardless of a person's income or social insurance record. They are only dependent on the claimant satisfying specific personal circumstances. An example would be Child Benefit (the Children's Allowance is its more common term). A person must simply have a child dependant living with them as defined in the social welfare legislation. (Migrant workers from EEA Member States may get Child Benefit if their dependent child is resident in another EEA Member State.)


Also:

*www.welfare.ie - Do EU rules affect Child Benefit?*


> If you work in a country covered by EC Regulations, this country usually pays Child Benefit even if your family is living in another EU or EEA country. Contact *Child Benefit EU Section* on (074) 910 6528 for more information on how EU rules affect Child Benefit.


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## Black Sheep (29 Aug 2008)

Fred Bloggs:- There has been a lot of discussion as to whether Ireland is paying Child benefit to non existent children in other countries but I have not seen any evidence of it. 
I have processed many claims on behalf of non-nationals and a lot of supporting documentation is required, plus documentation from the home country. It really is a lenghty process which I believe is done very thoroughly


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## Welfarite (1 Sep 2008)

FredBloggs said:


> Was it only ancedotal or is it true that a large number of non Eu immigrants who have come here in recent years are getting paid child benefit for their children back home? this is often told to me as an example of the government wasting tax payers money as there is no proof that the children exist. I'm just wondering is it true?


 

The government, I'm sure, would love not to have to pay out CB for children living in another state, but EU law has them snookered on that one! Not too long ago, CB in GB was higher than here and many people working in NI availed on the same EU law to claim the higher rate. Nobody Irish complained about GB paying Irish parents to rare their kids at this side of the border!


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