HELP! With income support.

Teyahseyes10

Hello all!

I'am in receipt of IS and wish to stop it. Will they ask why? The only reason I ask is because I found out that THEY made a mistake and have been overpaying me for 2 years. Im worried that if I dont stop it, they will ask for it back.
Please help!

HappyMJ

Teyahseyes10 wrote: »

Hello all!

I'am in receipt of IS and wish to stop it. Will they ask why? The only reason I ask is because I found out that THEY made a mistake and have been overpaying me for 2 years. Im worried that if I dont stop it, they will ask for it back.
Please help!

They won't ask why. How did they make a mistake? How do you know it actually was a mistake? Did they make the mistake based on the information you gave them?

karenx

If you have been overpayed you will have to pay it back regardless if you stop it or not.

epitome

Don't have to pay it back if it was their mistake, if she supplied all the relevant info and she can prove it she won't have to pay it back.

OP, what is the mistake?

missapril75

They'll want a date to close the claim, so you could just say I no longer need it having received my last payment for (-/-/-).

Official errors are not normally recoverable but it may be different if it's the sort of mistake that should be obvious to you. If you have now noticed it, could it be argued it was noticeable at the beginning?

If it's worth giving up the whole entitlement to avoid the discovery, that makes it sound like the overpayment is quite big. Which maybe makes it more noticeable.

eg if you've been getting £60 when it should have been £50, you'd be throwing away £50 a week to avoid repaying £10 a week.

If you've been getting £100 a week when it should have been £30, getting £70 too much would be more noticeable.

Nearly every communication sent would give a breakdown. It might be argued that you could see an error.

It really depends what it was. But you have noticed it now.

Or perhaps they shouldn't have been paying you at all?

Teyahseyes10

We started claiming IS our daughter was born disabled. My husband has always worked part time (16 hours pw).
We were getting £55 a fortnight for the first year, then it shot up to £160. Our situation hasn't changed, and I honestly didn't realise that we were being overpaid. I just thought that the rates had gone up! (sounds silly, I know!)
I only realised when I compared the letters I had got over the years, one took WTC into consideration and the recent ones don't. For some reason they might think I'ma lone parent? Or that my partner doesnt work.
Im sick with worry, I really don't know what to do?

epitome

Do you have to supply any wage slips as evidence of his employment regularly?

Does the £160 include working tax and child tax? what about child benefit is that separate?

Anubis_2

epitome wrote: »

Do you have to supply any wage slips as evidence of his employment regularly?

Does the £160 include working tax and child tax? what about child benefit is that separate?

There is no working tax or child tax on IS. Child benefit is nothing to do with IS.

OP, what does your breakdown state for IS? It would help to know.

You don't have to put amounts as such, just what the payment is for:

IE:


Family premium ....... X amount
For you and your Partner. ...... X amount

What does your breakdown state?

epitome

Anubis wrote: »

There is no working tax or child tax on IS. Child benefit is nothing to do with IS.

Well obviously, but that was not what I asked the OP was it? The OP may be lumping it all together :wall:

Anubis_2

epitome wrote: »

Well obviously, but that was not what I asked the OP was it? The OP may be lumping it all together :wall:

You asked the OP if the £160 included child tax and working tax credits.

Does the £160 include working tax and child tax? what about child benefit is that separate?

The £160 Is her income support payment so would NOT INCLUDE any tax credits! RE READ.

We started claiming IS our daughter was born disabled. My husband has always worked part time (16 hours pw).
We were getting £55 a fortnight for the first year, then it shot up to £160. Our situation hasn't changed, and I honestly didn't realise that we were being overpaid. I just thought that the rates had gone up! (sounds silly, I know!)

You also categorically stated that overpayments from official error do not have to be paid back. This is not the case that official errors do not have to be paid back - that is entirely at DWP discretion.

If the overpayment was your fault - perhaps you didn't report a change in your circumstances or gave wrong information - you'll have to pay it all back. If it was caused by administrative error you may be asked to pay it back, particularly if you could reasonably be expected to realise you were being overpaid.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/BenefitsTaxCreditsAndOtherSupport/BeginnersGuideToBenefits/DG_10035707

missapril75

Teyahseyes10 wrote: »

We started claiming IS our daughter was born disabled. My husband has always worked part time (16 hours pw).
We were getting £55 a fortnight for the first year, then it shot up to £160. Our situation hasn't changed, and I honestly didn't realise that we were being overpaid. I just thought that the rates had gone up! (sounds silly, I know!)
I only realised when I compared the letters I had got over the years, one took WTC into consideration and the recent ones don't. For some reason they might think I'ma lone parent? Or that my partner doesnt work.
Im sick with worry, I really don't know what to do?

And you're sure it's income into account that's disappeared? They haven't added a carer premium/disabled child premium? Was there a large payment of back pay about the same time as the increase? It might be that the form showing the higher amout is the right one. Have you tried one of those online benefit caclulators to see what result you get? Anubis and Epitome are asking good questions. The answers will reveal some solutions.