The DWP may want money from an estate

mrsyardbroom

I don't know if anyone can help with this. My mother in law died in July and my husband dealt with her estate. After everything had been distributed the DWP wrote to him and said that they may want some money back from the estate. We have been trying for weeks and weeks to get the DWP to sort this out but they just say they haven't got enough staff to deal with it. Meanwhile we have money in the bank which we aren't able to touch and we have no idea how much we have to repay. My question is this. How long can a government department keep you waiting? Is there a time limit beyond which they can't demand any money?

clairec79

Did she owe them money? That's the only thing I can think of

Mojisola

As it's the DWP I would guess they could take years if they wanted!

I understood that when someone dies who has been on means-tested benefits the DWP has a look at all their financial records and can reclaim money if the person was overpaid. Obviously it's not high priority for DWP so I wouldn't expect a solution very soon.