Tax credits - give up my claim

[Fair's fair]

I have a pretty good job but my ex-partner is on benefits. I have full residency of our daughters but they have dinner with their mother a few nights a week - whatever they want to arrange with her and usually stay overnight a couple of nights as well. She claims the Child Benefit for both as she feeds them a few nights a week as I said and that's fine with me as I wouldn't get it anyway due to my income. I do not, nor ever have claimed either CB or Working Tax Credit for my kids. At this point, she cannot claim tax credits either as I have full residency (details of that not really relevant to the question). I am happy for us to now agree to a shared residency of 50-50 if it enables her to get more financial support. We would have to agree that she would not try to claim maintenance from me if I agreed to this, but that is a separate consideration.
Does 50-50 residency give her the ability to claim Child Tax Credit and is it reduced in any way due to the shared residency status?

[Kati]

Re: Tax credits - give up my claim

I was under the impression that whoever claimed the CB would be able to apply for tax credits (maybe I'm wrong)??

[Fair's fair]

Re: Tax credits - give up my claim

Generally speaking I think that's how it's viewed, but that pre-supposes that the person claiming CB is the resident parent. In this case, my ex is the NON-resident parent and I elected for her to receive CB. While CB is normally the 'enabler' to claim other benefits, in this case I'm not so sure. On her tax credit form it specifically asks if she is the Resident Parent, not if she receives CB.

[Kati]

Re: Tax credits - give up my claim

Generally speaking I think that's how it's viewed, but that pre-supposes that the person claiming CB is the resident parent. In this case, my ex is the NON-resident parent and I elected for her to receive CB. While CB is normally the 'enabler' to claim other benefits, in this case I'm not so sure. On her tax credit form it specifically asks if she is the Resident Parent, not if she receives CB.

If she shares residency with you, then I can't see it being a problem (IMO) ... it may be worthwhile contacting HMRC to make sure tho'