Help! (I bent the rules in desperation)

ikx

I've been a bit of a naughty boy, and need some advice. I got into very bad rent arrears and was threatened with losing my home. In desperation, I started claiming both working tax credit and jobseekers allowance (for a total of 6 months). Although this is no longer the case, I am very worried. What shall I do next, and what will happen now?
Do I do nothing, or pay it back and when?

Scarlett1

so you were signing on as well as working, or working whilst signing on

you can either sit back and do nothing and they come and find you and prosecute you, or you go to them and confess and offer to pay back what you claimed wrongly, and maybe be lucky enough to escape being prosecuted
whatever way you committed benefit and tax fraud, I would say fess up and take it like a man and correct you're mistakes

astonsmummy

I dont understand how people do it? as soon as i started my job, my housing benefit was canx straight away without me even telling them!

ikx

They're definitely finding out... right?

Bendybops19

Oh crikey.....

So...you were working and claiming working tax credits...but then u also claimed job seekers allowance yea?

How did u do that...u have to go into the job centre every week when u get job seekers allowance?

Anyways, thats not the point is it!! Well i would be very naughty and i wouldnt actually go and confess. How long since yu last claimed? If its been like 2 months, are they really going to realise now?

Pretty awful thing to do though!

singlehouseholder

You could ignore it, but as some previous threads on this borad have shown, they do seem to have a habit of catching up with you. I 'm no angel but I don't think I could cope with the worry of waiting for the letter to come through the door demanding the cash back.... You could get in touch, and make an offer to pay it off. If in the future you end up needing to claim bens again, they could ask for it back then, when you're in a worse off position to pay it back. Really, no-one can tell you what to do, its your call.

kelloggs36

It depends on the amount of overpayment of benefit they would calculate. If it is over 1500 you are looking at being prosecuted unless you confess. If you confess you would have to pay it back, but are unlikely to be prosecuted because you admitted it. Unless things have changed, if the overpayment is less than 1500, you would have a 'fine' (not through the courts, but fixed by the Benefits Agency) of 1/3 of the amount of overpayment, plus the overpayment, but if you refuse this option, you would be taken to court.

Your choice, but to reduce chance of a criminal record confession is your best bet.

Penny-Pincher!!

YES...they WILL find out!! All the benefits are linked to your National Insurance number, so it is just a matter of time. You should be worried!

Sorry, but I have no sympathy for you. Do the crime...do the time!! What you did was illegal.

PP

kate1976

I'm sorry but I have no sympathy either, I've been screwed over by an overpayment letter today even though I was straight up with them from the start!

They will catch up with you eventually, best confess your sins now I think!

clairec79

Generally if you admit it and repay the money they won't do anything (other than take the money back), if you get caught and deny it you can take taken to court over even a small amount (I'm thinking of a case where he only worked for 3 weeks before getting found out - so probably £135 and I don't think he was getting housing benefit - of course he did get the job through the job centre and then tried arguing over the fact that I hadn't told him he *couldn't* work and sign)

ikx

I'm sorry but I have no sympathy either... [blahblah]

Thanks to all that have contributed to this. To the moral minority: remember, I was looking for advice, not your "sympathy". It is not your job to hang those you do not know.