At my wits end with benefits

RAS

Hi

If you are interviewed about this make sure you explain that you beiieved that you were entitled to the money and did not do it delibarately. They will however look to reclaim any money you owe.

Have you tried to sort out what you actually owe?

tortmad

I owe tax credits about 2000 and I just got the letter about carers allowance telling me that I shouldn't have been claiming. I have worked it out to be about 6000. If it was a case of paying it back then that would be only fair, if I wasn't entitled to it, no matter how I received it, then I should pay it back but it is such a large amount and I am expecting a jail sentence, you read about it all the time in the paper, and I couldn't cope with the shame of that.

DX2

tortmad wrote: »

They usually send him a letter and ask for his income and my pay slips which I send them. My dad isn't able to claim by himself so I'm confident that the council tax is ok. I just thought that at his age he got an automatic rebate. But I was wrong again obviously.

Thanks for all the replies but I can't cope with this. I have never been dishonest in my life and I can't cope with this. I am feeling really ill now with all this and don't think I can cope with going to court I would be so ashamed and then I will lose my job which I love. I just can't believe all this has happened and I did not do anything wrong deliberately.

Thanks again.

I doubt very much you will go to court, I know it's easy for me to say but please don't work yourself up into this state. Phone the CAB in the morning make an appointment and get help from them, you have nothing to be ashamed of, if you have been given incorrect advice how were you to know any different.

DX2

tortmad wrote: »

I owe tax credits about 2000 and I just got the letter about carers allowance telling me that I shouldn't have been claiming. I have worked it out to be about 6000. If it was a case of paying it back then that would be only fair, if I wasn't entitled to it, no matter how I received it, then I should pay it back but it is such a large amount and I am expecting a jail sentence, you read about it all the time in the paper, and I couldn't cope with the shame of that.

No one expects you to be able to pay back that amount of money straight away you can arrange payment plans for them but I do urge you to seek advice about the carers allowance overpayment especially if you were given incorrect advise from the DWP.

Ive_A_Horse_Outside

Make an appointment with your local CAB asap. You will no go to jail for this but will be expected to pay back any monies you were not entitled to but did receive.

CAB will be able to assist you better and give you an exact picture of things and this will get rid of the "i thought's" and "i assumed's".

tortmad

I will try and pull myself together enough to phone CAB tomorrow. I know I sound pathetic but you see I come from a very respectable, very law abiding family, my eldest son is doing a batchelors degree in accountancy, my brother in law is a policeman and I know that they will all look down their noses at me, think badly of me and I couldn't bear it. I probably should have asked my son about this when I started work but he works so hard and is always studying and doing exams I didn't want to bother him. Another lesson learnt, ask someone who knows and don't listen to staff at job centre plus!!

DX2

tortmad wrote: »

I will try and pull myself together enough to phone CAB tomorrow. I know I sound pathetic but you see I come from a very respectable, very law abiding family, my eldest son is doing a batchelors degree in accountancy, my brother in law is a policeman and I know that they will all look down their noses at me, think badly of me and I couldn't bear it. I probably should have asked my son about this when I started work but he works so hard and is always studying and doing exams I didn't want to bother him. Another lesson learnt, ask someone who knows and don't listen to staff at job centre plus!!

Good god there's nothing pathetic about you! Just don't bury your head in the sand, get on it straight away and good luck.

Keep us posted if your able to.

Newly_retired

I work at CAB and unfortunately we often hear that some clients have been misinformed by SOME Jobcentre staff.