How to deal with this?

zenshi

And it gets worse :eek:

Several years ago, WFTC decided they had overpaid me which I disputed and appealed. I heard nothing back and me payments continued as normal

I have just received a letter from them saying unless I call them or we will pass this to a debt collection agency. Once that happens apparently, I will not be able to discuss the amount of the debt with the agency?! The paying in slip states over £1300

I will ring them in a bit but any advice in the meantime

jessie4109

ask them to send out a letter with all the dates and details on of the disputed overpayments?

tallyhoh

can they collect on a disputed debt?

OneLife_OneShot

Don't know much about this, are you working now? If its proven you owe you won't be made to pay more than you can afford.

zenshi

Ok, brief details on the disputed amount.

I have been self employed for many years and still am. This was from when my youngest son was in Sixth form. He had finished the first year and was going into the final year when a job interview came up. He went for the job and got it, therefore never went back to Sixth form.

I rang and told them this so they could adjust my award appropriately. Then I had letter saying that as he didn't go back to school I had been overpaid since the last day of term. I can understand this but he was planning on going back otherwise he would have been looking for a job and claiming JSA!

Even so, I fail to see how his portion on my TC was made up to £1300 in two and a bit months!!! My payments were never that high anyway!

So I appealed and never heard anything back, so I assumed that it had been sorted. I will dive into my files and find the old letters with the figures on

Tixy

Once you have found out copies of your old paperwork then I would reply to them and enclose a copy of the letter in which you appealed the amount they were reclaiming.

State that you have not heard anything from them since you sent this letter and have never had any breakdown to explain the amount of the alleged overpayment.

Ask them to provide a detailed breakdown of the overpayment and the amount they claim is now due.

Then hopefully you can agree how much is actually due back and make an offer of payment at a rate you can afford.

tallyhoh

I found this on the HMRC leaflet on overpayments:

If a customer appeals a decision, which created the overpayment, then any recovery action will be suspended until the outcome of the appeal is known. Benefits and Credits will write to the customer explaining the outcome of the appeal.