Benefit investigation

Fran

Out of interest info can be found on the "One" Website where you can check if you're in a pilot area and find out what One is about.

Curry_Queen

Thanks Fran, I was just struggling to find info about it in Google but you managed to do it

fluffyscruffy

HB & DWP dont really talk to each other much.Don't worry about CFIS letter, it's probably nothing to worry about. Make sure you have bank statements, pay statements to hand.

jellyhead

my friend had a home visit to decide if she was living with a man. i think somebody had notified them she had a boyfriend. he didn't live there and had his own place but i suppose the people who tell on others don't know the full facts. do you have any male visitors that might have prompted neighbours to suspect you're cheating the benefits sytem?

i had to go in for an interview about a part time job (this was after the job had ended), it was a complete farce, they said 'we suspect that you've been working', i said 'yes, i told you, i sent my payslips to you every fortnight and i didn't earn any more than i was allowed to' - a quick look in my file proved that they had known about my job all along, that interview was a total waste of time, i don't know why they couldn't have read my file before calling me in lol!

lots of people need to claim benefits short term to get them through a difficult unforeseen period, don't let anyone make you feel bad about it.

deedee_3

daveboy wrote:

Remind me to have three kids and expect the taxpayer to stump up for them.

It is money saving so you're in the right place I suppose.

Daveboy has made these type of comments before on other threads. I suspect he is just trying to set people going then sitting back and watching the fun so to speak. Though no one seems to rise thank goodness.

bokkie7975

MyUserNamesTaken wrote:

If they are going to interview you under caution, the letter will say this. The letter will also advise you to seek the help of a solicitor or CAB.

As for others saying there is better communication between HB and DWP, I can only disagree, based on personal experience. They certainly don't work together in this part of the country, nor is there a one-stop office dealing with claims. I've been told by people I know who work for the DWP that liasing with the HB dept rarely happens.

Thanks for this reply, I will show my friend tomorrow when she comes round, at least that should help her sleep better.

What is it about authority? A letter arrives from the "fraud squad" and immediately we begin to wonder - what have I done wrong?
my poor friend has been asking me for advice but I didn't have much to offer except - don't worry, you know you haven't done anything, maybe it's just routine..... at least now she knows she's not alone.


As for Daveboy , perhaps he should be nominated for 'stirrer of the week'

jellyhead

wooden spoon award? :-)
i wonder what he's doing on the benefits board if he's not claiming any?

cc74

Thanks for this reply, I will show my friend tomorrow when she comes round, at least that should help her sleep better.

What is it about authority? A letter arrives from the "fraud squad" and immediately we begin to wonder - what have I done wrong?
my poor friend has been asking me for advice but I didn't have much to offer except - don't worry, you know you haven't done anything, maybe it's just routine..... at least now she knows she's not alone


Thanks Bokkie 7975 for that. Your right and i feel for your poor friend.

I don't have many male callers. I did inform IS when I started my saturday job. I sent them the first pay slip. But I haven't done since then. But it is new to my claim so maybe it's an oversight. Also I only earn the £20 I'm allowed too, (this all goes on child care to have the kids while I'm at work, but I like going to work and meeting people, and they said they will take me on more hours when kids are at pre school).

Anyway thanks again. I now don't feel so bad.

MyUserNamesTaken

cc74 wrote:

I don't have many male callers. I did inform IS when I started my saturday job. I sent them the first pay slip. But I haven't done since then. But it is new to my claim so maybe it's an oversight. Also I only earn the £20 I'm allowed too, (this all goes on child care to have the kids while I'm at work, but I like going to work and meeting people, and they said they will take me on more hours when kids are at pre school).

Anyway thanks again. I now don't feel so bad.

Good to hear you're feeling a little better about the whole thing - I know exactly what you're going through right now. To be honest, I think they just want to clarify your work situation, as you've not shown any more payslips since initially telling them. Make sure you have the payslips ready when they come to interview you, as they will want to see those to make sure you haven't earnt more than you should. Also make sure you have all your bank statements available, as they will more than likely want to check those to see if there's been extra cash paid in, etc.

It is possible that someone has grassed you up for working (even though you're not breaking the law), so the fraud dept. has to check it out. From what you've said, you've done nothing wrong and have nothing to worry about.

Good luck with everything and please let us know how it goes.

jellyhead

i think it's about the pay slips too, they need to check you're not earning more than £20 a week. it was £15 a week when i was on IS and i had to send them every payslip. i'm not sure of the rules but is it possible for you to earn more than £20 then deduct the childcare costs so that your net income from this work isn't above £20 - ask them about it. i have no idea, but when i was an avon rep i used to send them my invoices etc. saying how much i'd earned and then deduct my expenses from those earnings (avon reps have to pay for brochures, paper bags, etc. etc.). mind you i didn't ever earn £15 a week before i took the expenses off so maybe i wasn't allowed to deduct my expenses but as i never earned much they didn't need to tell me i was doing it wrong lol!

it's great that you found a job where you can increase your hours later on. if you work for 16 hours or more you can get tax credits and help with childcare. https://www.entitledto.org will tell you how much you can expect in tax credits (but i think you have to pay for prescriptions, dentists etc. and also for your council tax and housing benefit while on tax credits, although my friend gets some help with hers my sister doesn't, mind you the friend has one child, my sister has 2 and also gets to keep her maintenance so she has a much higher income than my friend). entitledto tells you about council tax benefit etc. too i think.

*HUGS* for your interview with them, it probably is just about wage slips.