Incapacity Benefit -- visit from Compliance Officer - why? what?

mummyslittleboy

travelodger wrote: »

I have been on IC since October 2009.

At that time I was assessed by a doctor and a solicitor (on appeal after being declined IB). Nobody visited me then.



I have savings but they are not means tested. I have lodgers, but checked long ago that unearned income isn't taken into account, either. I am allowed to be employed by someone for up to 16 hours a week, but I've never been so employed. Since October I have only worked a total of three hours and was paid a total of £625 for those three hours. I have no need to write to them about it and I assume they don't know.


Thanks to anyone who can help me here.

You still need to declare you have lodgers and how much they pay you as it will effect any housing and council tax benefit you receive

travelodger

DMG - the money was paid in cash both times and the bigger amount was from abroad.

Mummy's -- you seem to have taken DMG's suspicion that I am a fraudster to heart. I do not claim ANYTHING other than IB, certainly not housing benefit (I own a very large house outright!) and not council tax benefit either! I have read all the rules online very carefully and I know full well that those things ARE means tested.

IB is NOT means tested.

And no, I do NOT have to declare the lodgers as all unearned income is irrelevant to IB. No matter how much. Even if a person derived a million a year from property rental he would still qualify for IB.

dmg24

travelodger wrote: »

DMG - the money was paid in cash both times and the bigger amount was from abroad.

Mummy's -- you seem to have taken DMG's suspicion that I am a fraudster to heart. I do not claim ANYTHING other than IB, certainly not housing benefit (I own a very large house outright!) and not council tax benefit either! I have read all the rules online very carefully and I know full well that those things ARE means tested.

IB is NOT means tested.

And no, I do NOT have to declare the lodgers as all unearned income is irrelevant to IB. No matter how much. Even if a person derived a million a year from property rental he would still qualify for IB.

I did not say that you were a fraudster, I said that you would be committing fraud if you did not declare the income.

Was the money paid to a fictitious name and NI number? If not, it can be traced.

I have seen all too many cases of people thinking that payments they have received cannot be traced. They most certainly can!

mummyslittleboy

travelodger wrote: »

There is no way they could find out about that money. It is actually impossible for them to do so. You are being extremely silly if you think that rules that allow people to earn £4,800 are going to be used to prosecute someone for earning £500. I am certain that they will allow money to be earned other than in weekly dollops. You just don't understand that there has to be some flexibility for people in my situation, who can command a gigantic fee for giving a talk once a year rather than slaving away for £6 an hour, 20 hours a week.

As DMG has already said you obvoiusly have no idea what the DWP can look into.As for the "you are being extremly silly if you think the rules that allow people to earn £4,800 are going to be used to prosecute someone for earning £500" I think you are being silly as you seem to think the DWP rules dont apply to you and that because you can command a gigantic fee for giving a talk you are better than anyone else I am glad you are well enough to do this just makes the mind boggle as to how you are receiving Incapacity in the first place.

travelodger

I'd like to see them look into cash payments for events they knew nothing about. You must be suffering from a very acute case of paranoia if you think Big Brother is everywhere, like God, perhaps, omnipresent, all seeing. As we've seen upthread, they cannot tell their !!!!!! from their elbows most of the time.

This has become quite nasty since you two arrived. Are you jealous or something?

I'm receiving IB after being interviewed and examined by two officials, a doctor, and a solicitor. I suppose you think you know better than both of them? Put yourself forward for a job then --- tell them you can tell if someone is disabled just by reading their anonymous postings on the Internet. I am sure they will employ you intsantly!

Ooh that green eyed monster!

PS I didnt say the rules didn't apply to me, don't misquote me you t w a t t

mummyslittleboy

travelodger wrote: »

DMG - the money was paid in cash both times and the bigger amount was from abroad.

Mummy's -- you seem to have taken DMG's suspicion that I am a fraudster to heart. I do not claim ANYTHING other than IB, certainly not housing benefit (I own a very large house outright!) and not council tax benefit either! I have read all the rules online very carefully and I know full well that those things ARE means tested.

IB is NOT means tested.

And no, I do NOT have to declare the lodgers as all unearned income is irrelevant to IB. No matter how much. Even if a person derived a million a year from property rental he would still qualify for IB.

My Ex husband received IB for 7 months whilst he was ill we had to declare lodgers and all savings and the form asked do you have any other money coming in we were stopped money due to having my mother staying with us at the time because she had been there longer than 7 weeks and she wasn't paying us rent.

I am not taking sides with DMG or anyone else in my opinion from what you have said you are doing by not telling DWP you have earned money from lodgers or work it is committing FRAUD

hayley11

Yeah I think this is a wind up. Like you say DMG, he/she is a lecturer and yet they have failed to understand the rules of IB on several counts.

And since when do solicitors have anything to do with IB??

TOBRUK

If this was a wind up then it is a very bad show! Why do people do it?! If it isn't a wind up then for someone who seemed worried about a visit, to someone who was then prepared to either not disclose earnings or not to tell the whole truth about their situation to a compliance officer ... well it's very wrong. As someone here said, it's fraud.

periwinkle_2

Hello

I've been on Inc.Ben for several years, and I've never heard of a 'compliance officer', but, yesterday morning someone paid me a visit - no letter, no phone call, a guy just turned up on my doorstep, and said "I'm from what used to be called social security and you've been picked for a random check. Have you got half an hour to answer some questions?" I was so stunned, I just stood there gawping at him until he asked if he could come in (I could hardly say no). He then proceeded to ask me a series of questions, and when I wasn't sure of the answer - like, "how long have you been claiming IB?" he told me exactly how long I've been claiming. He tested me as if he was judge and jury and then left to type up his report.

So who makes a judgement about my future?

Has anyone else been spot checked since the ConDems have been in govt?

hayley11

periwinkle, it might be best starting a new thread to ask this question so you get more replies