Using a child's bank account as a tax fiddle....

steerpike
steerpike Posts: 424
edited May 2014 in The cake stop
Hypothetical question:-

If someone was using their own child's bank account to pay money into, and this <cough>the-ex</cough> person has a limited company - what might be the ruse going on here and is it legit ?<cough>as if</cough>

Comments

  • gethinceri
    gethinceri Posts: 1,519
    The ruse would be fraud. It is not legit.
  • steerpike
    steerpike Posts: 424
    Gethinceri wrote:
    The ruse would be fraud. It is not legit.
    No doubt you're right - but *what* is the benefit of doing it?
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    steerpike wrote:
    Gethinceri wrote:
    The ruse would be fraud. It is not legit.
    No doubt you're right - but *what* is the benefit of doing it?

    Hiding the money presumably.
  • arran77
    arran77 Posts: 9,260
    steerpike wrote:
    Gethinceri wrote:
    The ruse would be fraud. It is not legit.
    No doubt you're right - but *what* is the benefit of doing it?

    Hiding the money presumably.

    In a child's account would the money be safe from creditors if things go tits up?
    "Arran, you are like the Tony Benn of smut. You have never diluted your depravity and always stand by your beliefs. You have my respect sir and your wife my pity" :lol:

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  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    Safer perhaps. But more likely they don't want the money to be discovered at all?
  • VTech
    VTech Posts: 4,736
    There is nothing illegal with paying money into your childs account.
    If you do it to hide your own money then that is illegal.

    Anyway, who would really do this as a fiddle ? there is no profit in savings accounts of any kind.
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  • steerpike
    steerpike Posts: 424
    maybe if someone is taking cash in hand and doesn't want to declare it to the taxman but also doesn't want bundles of cash around the place.

    If it's money that's paid by the recipient of services - to the provider by bank transfer then surely that's traceable and there's no benefit of 'hiding it' in a child's account.
  • VTech
    VTech Posts: 4,736
    Every account with £5000+ is automatically reported to hmrs, as is PayPal when more than £5000 is transferred in any given year.
    Money laundering isn't easy these days.
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  • Doesn't really matter where the money ends up, an accountant will just look at income and expenditure.

    If Director of said company isn't fully declaring income then thats a different matter.....
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  • me-109
    me-109 Posts: 1,915
    My understanding of this is that you would open the account and the account would be 'in trust' - that is it is essentially in your name and you can pay into, and withdraw, from that account. As a child's account it will be given interest tax free. Therefore you could pay money in and make more interest than you would in a private or business account. Of course on the self-assessment or accounts you might have to make the capital disappear or appear in a low/non-interest earning account.
  • metronome
    metronome Posts: 670
    VTech wrote:
    Every account with £5000+ is automatically reported to hmrs, as is PayPal when more than £5000 is transferred in any given year….

    Interesting. I have often contemplated if Paypal is used to secretly move money.
    tick - tick - tick
  • metronome wrote:
    VTech wrote:
    Every account with £5000+ is automatically reported to hmrs, as is PayPal when more than £5000 is transferred in any given year….

    Interesting. I have often contemplated if Paypal is used to secretly move money.

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  • Downward
    Downward Posts: 179
    VTech wrote:
    There is nothing illegal with paying money into your childs account.
    If you do it to hide your own money then that is illegal.

    Anyway, who would really do this as a fiddle ? there is no profit in savings accounts of any kind.

    4% currently for a santander kids account
  • alan_sherman
    alan_sherman Posts: 1,157
    Person's assets are lower, so I'd they split with partner, or need to go to the CSA or something they are 'poor'. Also applies to old age care to avoid paying for it (something like a 16k limit on savings - If you have more then the gov takes it to cover the cost of your care).

    Maybe planning ahead to avoid inheritance tax. Our they want the kid to be able to afford to go to university our buy a house in future
  • VTech
    VTech Posts: 4,736
    Downward wrote:
    VTech wrote:
    There is nothing illegal with paying money into your childs account.
    If you do it to hide your own money then that is illegal.

    Anyway, who would really do this as a fiddle ? there is no profit in savings accounts of any kind.

    4% currently for a santander kids account


    When you account for inflation your hardly breaking even.
    No serious investor or indeed anyone serious about saving for the future would use the standard banking system. It simply isn't designed for people to invest in their future.
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  • drlodge
    drlodge Posts: 4,826
    It was my understanding you can only "gift" into a child's account about £100 per year i.e. parent paying directly into child's account. Therefore any sizable deposit will be against the law.
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  • pdstsp
    pdstsp Posts: 1,264
    drlodge wrote:
    It was my understanding you can only "gift" into a child's account about £100 per year i.e. parent paying directly into child's account. Therefore any sizable deposit will be against the law.

    It's not against the law but there may be tax consequences - the transfer is a Potetntially Exempt Transfer for Inheritance tax purposes, so if the parent dies within 7 years of the gift then the amount is added back into the parents estate for IHT purposes, after allowing for the annual gift allowance.
  • drlodge
    drlodge Posts: 4,826
    pdstsp wrote:
    drlodge wrote:
    It was my understanding you can only "gift" into a child's account about £100 per year i.e. parent paying directly into child's account. Therefore any sizable deposit will be against the law.

    It's not against the law but there may be tax consequences - the transfer is a Potetntially Exempt Transfer for Inheritance tax purposes, so if the parent dies within 7 years of the gift then the amount is added back into the parents estate for IHT purposes, after allowing for the annual gift allowance.

    Ah, that sounds about right, thanks for clarifying.
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