repayment of benefits

[emmie]

has anyone had to repay benefits due to overpayments, or can advise what you need to do, apart from see Citizens Advice Bureau. Has anyone had the DWP overturn their decisions. This was a bolt from the blue, and it's not an inconsiderable sum, so any help, advice would be much appreciated.

[EDDIE51]

oj, I think she is getting confused , I think the 'undeclared' amount may be the £700 not the repayment.

[BayBoy1]

What does the paymaster take back of the MPs when they have accidently over claimed, on their monthly expenses .???

[emmie]

quite frankly i came as a shock, but there was no indepth explanation as to how they reached that figure, and i never pay anything that hasn't been thoroughly scrutinised beforehand.

[emmie]

the sum i receive is 67.08 every six months, so you can see why i said it was a tiny amount, so 134.16 annually.

[emmie]

Eddie, no the demand from the benefits agency is for 700 quid and a few pence, they say that is an overpayment and i should repay it now...

[jamesnan]

I used to get a carer's allowance, but when my husband reached pension age it was more beneficial to claim a proper pension through his pension, since I had previously only got £2. per week. I informed the Carers Benefit people and nothing happened. I noticed that they kept on paying for about 5 months, every month it was put into the account, and in the end I got so concerned that I sent them an email. I copied everything previously sent to them and put that with it, and waited. Within a couple of hours I had an email back saying that it was wrong and that I should not have got it!!!
Then followed a letter asking for a lump sum, for which I then sent them a cheque. I hate to think how long it wowuld have gone on for if I had not contacted them.

[bednobs]

i don't think benefit debts have a time limit. As the others have said, i would hope they can only take it back at the rate they gave it to you (ie £2 ish pounds a week)
if you can't prove your told them about the change, they will assume you didn't (and you just need to keep your fingers crossed they don't accuse you of fraud)

[ojread2]

ah, Eddie - that could be it
6 years of that amount is over £800 lol - I'm stumped now

been a busy sorry to be so late back with a reply

[emmie]

an update, saw someone at CAB and due to go back to sort through the details, they are going to deal with the matter on my behalf with my consent and thank heavens, the person i saw today reiterated basically what Eddie, Ojread said so that was good news. I will know more tomorrow when have the follow up appointment and see what is feasible as repayments, but doesn't have to be lump sum up front, whew.

[emmie]

it's a minefield that's for sure.

[albaqwerty]

Em, am glad it's being sorted. It's always a worry when any demand for money arrives out of the blue. Thank you for the update and have a darned good soak in the bath later and a good nights sleep xx

[emmie]

alba, thank you, can't manage to get in or out the bath these days as it's too deep, but ok with the shower, and perhaps an early night...

[factor-fiction]

I think cockatiel's example is a bit of a red-herring here. In that case the person knew they were receiving too much pension credit and should have put the money to one side (in a high interest account) until it was reclaimed. In em10's case, on the other hand, I read it that there wasn't any awareness of an over payment

[ojread2]

well, I'm glad someone is looking at it for you
It's confusing stuff =)
GL for tomorrow

[emmie]

OJ, thank you, see what can be done today, at least i am not alone in trying to sort it out..

[ojread2]

any news, em?

[emmie]

OJ, if you are about the person i was supposed to see didn't show, so i had a wasted visit, so now have to see someone else monday, what a pain.