Huge ESA overpayment

poppy12345

Wizardy18 wrote: »

OP, sounds like you may be claiming Universal Credit (UC).

Have you received any letters recently regards transfer to this?

As sounds like you may now be getting 4 weekly payments.

No one is being transfered over yet. The only way a person would move accross to UC is if they have a change in circumstances and their area is a full UC area.

Ames

Plus Universal Credit is monthly not four weekly.

Tommo1980

I think the 'huge' descriptor may be over egging the pudding:-)

TELLIT01

Tommo1980 wrote: »

I think the 'huge' descriptor may be over egging the pudding:-)

For somebody used to receiving just over a hundred quid a fortnight suddenly having over eight hundred hit their account, I think 'huge' is a pretty fair descriptor personally.

Danday

As regards what appears to be an overpayment of benefit, yes the DWP do in fact make these errors day in day out. Once when claiming Supplementary Benefit (the old name for Income Support) they in error paid arrears for mortgage help twice. This amounted to just over £3000 of overpaid benefit. When I contacted the DHSS (DWP) about it I was informed that if they wanted the money back from the bank they would ask for it. They never did ask for it back and it was a great help in that the extra £3000 was used by the bank to reduce the mortgage debt.

TELLIT01

You are going back a long way Danday. In those days everything was done manually so the risk of duplication was higher, due to the fact that it's easy to misfile paperwork. That type of error should happen much more rarely with computerised system (I do say 'should'!).
Attitude to 'official error' has certainly hardened over the years. It's not all that long ago that letters would be sent out demanding repayment despite the fact that, at that time, claimants could not be forced to pay it back. With UC I believe that any overpayment can be recovered.

Danday

How times change Tellit

These changes seem only go one way - in favour of the DWP.

I posted a comment recently on what now happens if money is paid into the wrong bank account in error. The assumption is that it is the fault of the claimant and they would unlikely not to have it paid into the right account - something that would not happen if we went back to giros and post office books.

elle_may

Twice last year son's ESA was overpaid, twice i told them, within 2 day's. both times i was told on the phone they would not take it back and had
2 letter's confirming this. So it still happen's.

leon143

bigbill wrote: »

The £251.10 or £125.55 weekly is the amount for someone in the support group could it be they have moved you to this group before they tell you officially and this is the arrears owed?

Turns out you're right, they had just put me in a support group but the letter was delayed because of the weather.

TELLIT01

leon143 wrote: »

Turns out you're right, they had just put me in a support group but the letter was delayed because of the weather.

Panic over then. The positive is that you noticed and took immediate action to check what was happening.