reclaiming benefits post-redundancy?

redpelica

18 months ago I was made redundant from a government department, DTI. I was told that I could not claim job seekers allowance or housing benefit by my employer. However I have recently subsequently learnt that I would have been entitled to this as my redundancy payout was less than the £16k threshold.

The majority made redundant from the department had been employed for considerably longer so their payouts exceeded this threshold - they could not claim benefits. I was overlooked, as my payout was less, and so got a wrong misleading message for my circumstances.

Would I be able to reclaim any backdated benefits such as housing benefits? I was tenant at the time and soon spent what money I had. I ran out of money, had no job, so eventually moved back to my parents, which means I no longer live in either the accommodation or borough (Barnet) I was living in at the time. Would this effect any claim? Do I have any grounds anyway for a backdated claim?

Thanks very much for any advice.

SomeBozo

You have no chance of this working.

The duff advice you got given was by your employer, not the DWP.

Do you really expect the DWP to pay up because of bad advice from someone else?

Bozo

cattie

As SomeBozo says, the advice was not given by DWP so you have no comeback.

With benefits the onus is on the claimant to check what their entitlement may or may not be.

motorguy

SomeBozo wrote: »

You have no chance of this working.

The duff advice you got given was by your employer, not the DWP.

Do you really expect the DWP to pay up because of bad advice from someone else?

Bozo

+1

Also, surely JSA allowance is independent of size of redundancy payment or is that a new thing?

redpelica

thanks. I thought the onus was probably on me but it was worth asking.

Debt_Free_Chick

Worth asking/claiming as some benefits will be backdated by three months, I think.