Jobcentre mistake that I'm paying for!

WPN

concerned43: Even if he had a break in his claim; they sometimes treat claims as linked - so could still be eligible. Depends on the staff member.

katielouisemc

oldmotherreilley - he started claiming before we even got together.. when i moved in i was claiming contributions based from june until december. his income based started in july.

If i'm investigated i can deal with the fact i owe them money and if that's the case will happily pay it back - however i never intentionally committed benefit fraud and was absolutely misinformed. I'm not even really bothered about getting the job grant - I don't necessarily need the £100 but I do however need to be eligible for extended payments of HB/CTB which will only happen if the jobcentre sort out the dates and mistakes they've made.

Regardless of any of this though, if the claims are linked as people have suggested, my partner should still be entitled as he meets all the criteria. It's just a minefield.

NASA_2

If you claim JSA(C) then the overpayment wouldnt be against you.

Your partner will have an overpayment though. He agreed to tell JCP if his circumstances changed and, when you moved in, his circumstances changed. Did he tell them at that point?

I sincerely doubt though that they just added your claims together without a joint claim having been made. If your claim was Income Related then they were right to have you both on the claim.

katielouisemc

well basically we both made appointments to transfer our claims to the new jobcentre, and while we were there they said they'd see us together - he was 10 minutes or so after me and they filled out the form for the joint claim. we wouldn't be having this problem if they'd put my partner's name as the main claimant - him being the one that's been on JSA the longest would make things easier but hey ho. too late for that now!

AnxiousMum

katielouisemc wrote: »

My partner had been on jobseekers (IB) since August, whereas I had only been on it since December.

As your partner was on income based/means tested - did he in fact notify them that you had moved in and were working?

Personally I'd be more concerned about that aspect of it at the moment!

katielouisemc

AnxiousMum wrote: »

As your partner was on income based/means tested - did he in fact notify them that you had moved in and were working?

Personally I'd be more concerned about that aspect of it at the moment!

i wasn't working - sorry if i've confused people.. it's such a mess trying to explain to people is hard cause i can't even work it out in my own head lol! thanks for all the advice - i think i'm going to speak to citizens advice before i take any action!

Hammyman

katielouisemc wrote: »

Neither of us lied. My partner was claiming first before I moved in and then when I claimed they just set me up as an individual claim, we weren't told that we had to claim together.

Really? It has been on JSA forms since the introduction. There is even a box you have to tick to state if you are living together as a couple.

I resent being told I lied and people insinuating that I purposely committed benefit fraud. I went on information given to me by the people who run the system, therefore take what I'm told as gospel so to speak - maybe you should be careful how you word replies.

So what you're telling us is that if you filled in the application forms, neither of you didn't see the boxes where you have to put in the names of other people living with you who are over 18, the box where it states if you are a couple or not? And when you did your phone application if it was done by phone, both of you were the only people in the entire country never to be asked if you were living with someone, not once but twice?

Sorry, don't believe you. One or the other of you lied.

WPN

I have to admit that its one of the most serious offences (living with a partner and not declaring it) I have heard enough peoples accounts where people have (and in some cases intentionally and spitefully wrongly reported someone to the benefit fraud helpline) been under investigation. They will go outside your house and spy on you to gather evidence - just someones "suspicion" is enough for them to do that.

One noteable case is where someones neighbour reports a person every other day, although cleared of wrong-doing the DWP still goes back does surveillance etc. and the DWP has not stuck a note on their system to prevent further abuses to that persons privacy - I am not suggesting making them exempt from all future action but if they have been thoroughly checked out twice in a month and are clear of wrong doing, its unlikely to be true the following week... The person knows who it is, but they haven't been prosecuted for making the calls.

AnxiousMum

katielouisemc wrote: »

i wasn't working - sorry if i've confused people.. it's such a mess trying to explain to people is hard cause i can't even work it out in my own head lol! thanks for all the advice - i think i'm going to speak to citizens advice before i take any action!

So when you moved in with him, you too were on JSA? When you complete the forms, you are asked about your relationship status. Did you complete that honestly? Did your partner notify them of a change of circumstances - ie, that you had moved in? When he signed on to JSA, he would've been under an agreement to notify them of any significant change, and I believe the form actually gives examples as well - ie, a partner moving in or out.....
Do go and talk to the CAB!

katielouisemc

thanks for the advice