£700 Housing benefit over payment??

n1guy

Ok I went into CAB. Basically the said I’d not given HB details of things like changing jobs etc since 2013. I admit I didn’t however I notified tax credits who adjusted it at there end and then the following week housing benefit also adjusted so i assumes I didn’t need to contact them.

Alice_Holt

n1guy wrote: »

Ok I went into CAB. Basically the said I’d not given HB details of things like changing jobs etc since 2013. I admit I didn’t however I notified tax credits who adjusted it at there end and then the following week housing benefit also adjusted so i assumes I didn’t need to contact them.

Oh well,
Then the £700 overpayment is recoverable.

If you look at any HB documentation it will always tell you "If your circumstances change
Tell your council if your circumstances change as this can affect how much you get.".

"so i assumes I didn’t " I always remember a work colleague who said "Don't assume. You will only make an a s s out of you and me"

n1guy

I don’t get it though. They already see the change from tax credits. Ok I didn’t personally tell them but they still got the info and they change it, you see what I am saying? It would be different if they didn’t change anything

Housing_Benefit_Officer

n1guy wrote: »

I don’t get it though. They already see the change from tax credits. Ok I didn’t personally tell them but they still got the info and they change it, you see what I am saying? It would be different if they didn’t change anything

We will change the Tax Credit amounts as they are provided to us by HMRC automatically on our ATLAS system and our computer systems update without anyone looking at the claim but not the wage details as you would have to provide these as proof separately. in the good old days your claim would be reviewed every 60 or 52 or 28 weeks but now claims just run and run and run without review. With Universal Credit everything is updated as and when wage changes are notified to HMRC.

poppy12345

n1guy wrote: »

I don’t get it though. They already see the change from tax credits. Ok I didn’t personally tell them but they still got the info and they change it, you see what I am saying? It would be different if they didn’t change anything

This is your problem. You need to report ANY changes. You reported the changes to tax credits so why not to HB also?

n1guy

poppy12345 wrote: »

This is your problem. You need to report ANY changes. You reported the changes to tax credits so why not to HB also?

Because they already know.

n1guy

Housing_Benefit_Officer wrote: »

We will change the Tax Credit amounts as they are provided to us by HMRC automatically on our ATLAS system and our computer systems update without anyone looking at the claim but not the wage details as you would have to provide these as proof separately. in the good old days your claim would be reviewed every 60 or 52 or 28 weeks but now claims just run and run and run without review. With Universal Credit everything is updated as and when wage changes are notified to HMRC.

I happened to get a payrise just 2 weeks ago. I notified tax credits. Within days I get a letter from HB about it. I phoned them just now about this and yes they already know without me doing anything

poppy12345

n1guy wrote: »

Because they already know.

As i understood HBO's post that with wage details you need to report those changes and provide proof.

Alice_Holt

n1guy wrote: »

Because they already know.

But they didn't.
They know your Tax Credits have changed, and will update that info for your HB claim because HMRC tell them your TC payments.
Your TC payments could change for a number of reasons.
Until recently there was no mechanism for HMRC to let your council know of your earnings.

How would the HB dept have known of a change in your 2014/5/6 wages?
They are not going to phone the employee to ask "Has Mr X been paid overtime this week?"
Equally your employer is not going to phone the HB dept for you.
It is your claim, and your responsibility to ensure that your council has the correct info.
The numbers used for the calculation of your HB are shown on your HB calculation notice.
It is the claimant's responsibility to check these are correct.

Your HB overpayment has now been spotted because of the recent introduction of a Real Time Information and the Fraud and Error Reduction Incentive Scheme - see https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/565313/hb-direct-nov-172.pdf
This shares info between HMRC, DWP, and your local council.
This is why they have picked up your wage increase in the last 2 weeks.
But it remains your responsibility to notify all benefit agencies of any changes - look at the wording on any HB documentation.

Look on it as having the benefit of an interest free loan for the last 4 years!
And, a lesson to check your HB calculation notices more carefully in future.

n1guy

Alice_Holt wrote: »

But they didn't.
They know your Tax Credits have changed, and will update that info for your HB claim because HMRC tell them your TC payments.
Your TC payments could change for a number of reasons.
Until recently there was no mechanism for HMRC to let your council know of your earnings.

How would the HB dept have known of a change in your 2014/5/6 wages?
They are not going to phone the employee to ask "Has Mr X been paid overtime this week?"
Equally your employer is not going to phone the HB dept for you.
It is your claim, and your responsibility to ensure that your council has the correct info.
The numbers used for the calculation of your HB are shown on your HB calculation notice.
It is the claimant's responsibility to check these are correct.

Your HB overpayment has now been spotted because of the recent introduction of a Real Time Information and the Fraud and Error Reduction Incentive Scheme - see https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/565313/hb-direct-nov-172.pdf
This shares info between HMRC, DWP, and your local council.
This is why they have picked up your wage increase in the last 2 weeks.
But it remains your responsibility to notify all benefit agencies of any changes - look at the wording on any HB documentation.

Look on it as having the benefit of an interest free loan for the last 4 years!
And, a lesson to check your HB calculation notices more carefully in future.

Its no big inconvenience, we only got £20 pw which did nothing anyway, they are taking £13 of that for the overpayment.