Pension Credit overpayment?

tomb50

First time poster, so this could end up anywhere...

I'm currently receiving Pension Credit at the maximum level of £142.60pw (£570.60pm).

As of February this year I am also receiving a small works pension of £52.60pm, giving a total monthly income of £623.20.

Pension Service were aware of this pension starting, and I was expecting a lower PC payment this month to reflect this.

Am I right to assume that this is just a lag before a new rate takes effect and overpayment (Feb, Mar, etc ) reclaimed.

Any assistance would be much appreciated.

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(I didn't know it at the time, but DWP having received and returned pension paperwork with acknowledgement slip, my file wasn't updated. From a later phone call to DWP I was told they had no record of this pension, so I sent them all the paperwork plus an up to date bank statement showing PC and company pension payments into my account. I got these back, with an acknowledgement slip on 26th April.)

sleepless_saver

Are you in an assessed income period for the pension credit (you would need to be 65 or over for this to be possible)?

tomb50

Apologies for late reply s_s.

I don't appear to have any paperwork from DWP specifically mentioning an Assessment Period. I've had a look at some information regarding these assessment periods, and as I'm 62 yo. I'm assuming I'm not in such a period. (If it's any help, my PC claim began in November 2012. In full time employment until then.)

From reading some of the experiences of overpayments on other threads, I would like to keep on top of this from the start if possible.

Thanks for your help.

anmarj

as you are 62 then you will not be in assessed income period (it for those over 65), it sounds like the paperwork has not been processed, you need to call to double check that they have it and it gets actioned. It will be down to volume of work that it has not been dealt with.

tomb50

Cheers for that.

I'll see what next month's payment is, and phone them if necessary.

Thanks again both.

TB

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Rang DWP beginning of April and I was told they had no record of this pension, so I sent them all the paperwork plus an up to date bank statement showing PC and company pension payments into my account. I got these back, with an acknowledgement slip on 26th April.

Rang DWP July 3rd. Helpful chap checked, told me they had all the information they needed, and said he would have the changes actioned. For whatever reason, this didn't happen.

Rang DWP 20th August. Very helpful lady checked, told me the paperwork had been scanned onto the system on 26th April, and said she would put it through as 'Urgent'. Good as her word, I received the new PC details a few days later.

tomb50

Received my new rate of Pension Credit today and need a bit more advice if possible.

Firstly, a deduction of £12.13pw has been applied, which equates to the pension of £52pm. Back in February, when the pension became payable, I took the option of a lump sum and a reduced pension, £52pm is the reduced amount - the full pension would have been £75pm.
Question is, do DWP not take the higher figure (£75pm) as the notional income, as I assumed this would be the case and the deduction would be higher than it is.
DWP had all the original paperwork from pension company regarding the pension option taken, plus my bank statement showing the lump sum paid into my account.

Secondly, there was no mention of the overpayments to date, total amount/reclaiming etc. so I'm still in the dark about that.
However, I did receive two DWP envelopes in the post this morning both with identical contents, so I'm wondering if one of these should have been regarding the overpayments?

Many thanks

Horseunderwater

DWP do have the correct deduction as it is the income that you actually get that is taken into account. It may take a little time to sort out any overpayment, so I would give them a month and see what happens, then if you still have not heard anything - a phone call to ask about the OP would be fine.

tomb50

Seven weeks later and no word from DWP re overpayments. Bank account never looked healthier, but I have to keep reminding myself that half of it isn't mine.

I'll give them a ring and see what's happening. (Whole other story in itself.)

Anyway, apparently it's being dealt with so I left it at that.

Has anyone got any idea how long it might be before I hear from them again in writing? My original claim back in November last year was dealt with in two weeks which I think gave me a false impression of dealing with DWP.

PS How is it that everyone I have spoken to on the phone is so friendly and helpful and yet the follow-up is so bloody awful?

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(During the phone call to DWP, the chap told me the overpayments were being dealt with, and offered to put me through to the people dealing with it. By this time I'd been on the phone so long - dialling, redialling, cut-off in mid-connection, finally getting through to be told I'd pressed the wrong option at the start and having to do it all again - that I said as long as it was being dealt with I'd leave it at that.
Looking back, that was definitely a mistake on my part, as if I'd stuck with it I would probably have known for sure what was happening about the overpayments.)

lld01

tomb50 wrote: »

Seven weeks later and no word from DWP re overpayments. Bank account never looked healthier, but I have to keep reminding myself that half of it isn't mine.

I'll give them a ring and see what's happening. (Whole other story in itself.)

Anyway, apparently it's being dealt with so I left it at that.

Has anyone got any idea how long it might be before I hear from them again in writing? My original claim back in November last year was dealt with in two weeks which I think gave me a false impression of dealing with DWP.

PS How is it that everyone I have spoken to on the phone is so friendly and helpful and yet the follow-up is so bloody awful?

The overpayment is normally calculated when they reassess your award, not weeks later (unless its particularly complex or goes back years..)

In these circumstances - if they were aware of the occ-pension when it started - it is highly likely that the overpayment has been classed as an "official error" and written off. Any agent you speak to should be able to confirm this from the notes on the case.

Re: your earlier question about notional income - they now would take into account what you actually get.. ie the reduced amount and capital (savings) resulting from the lump sum. Capital under £10k is disregarded. So what you are getting sounds correct.

The follow-up is awful because they have huge backlogs on the Change of Circs sections. A 6-8 month timescale for work to be processed is not unusual for some areas

tomb50

RE "In these circumstances - if they were aware of the occ-pension when it started"

Many thanks IId01 - You spotted the problem straight away.

When I made my original claim for Pension Credit I did not declare this old company pension.

ie in the "Do you have a company pension?" box I typed "NO"

While at the time of filling in the form I believed this to be true, DWP later contacted me (Dec 11) etc...

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Pension scheme in administration since the 80's and updates from the trustees said I had little hope of receiving this pension. Over the years I had written off this pension.

lld01

tomb50 wrote: »

Many thanks IId01 - You spotted the problem straight away.

When I made my original claim for Pension Credit I did not declare this old company pension.

ie in the "Do you have a company pension?" box I typed "NO"

While at the time of filling in the form I believed this to be true, DWP later contacted me etc...

That happens quite often. People forget about old pensions they have paid into, or wrongly believe they can't be claimed until they reach the age of 65. The Pension Service have access to the NI conts system so know if someone has paid into one.

As long as they were made aware as soon as the pension started, then any overpayments after this time would not be recoverable.