When to pay Benefit Overpayment!

all_about_steve

Hey folks, was working a 30 hour per week job and getting £30 per week working tax credits. Recently switched to another job which is still 30 hours but they changed my working tax credits to £12.50 per week about 4 weeks ago. Anywho I moved into my own flat and now have even more bill sto pay with the same money so applied for help through Housing Benefit to which the working tax credits jumped on me and stopped any help they were giving me and told me I now owe them £400!!

Does anyone know if I have to pay this all back in a oner soon or what? Thanks.

bossymoo

I've been asking the same question. I had an overpayment last year, apparently they deduct it from your current award providing nothing material has changed, whatever that means. It probably won't apply to me as I have gone from a joint to single claim part way through the year, as I lost my oh to cancer. They will probably expect it back in one lump sum from me. I've been told they write about a month following the award notice, with the relevant options...

Hope they let you spread it out. I'm miffed as I kept them informed all they way through my husbands illness, but now apparently there are two weeks where he was expected to care for our children, and they won't consider the nursery fees, even though one week he spent in hospital, and he had a grade 4 brain tumour. I was working. It's a crazy crazy system.