what was your experience?

fairylights80

hi everyone.

curious as to what your experience with a conpliance interview with the DWP was like. (i have one in a weeks time - NOT under caution.) i'm also unsure why they have asked me to go in. currently claiming PIP and ESA. my partner of 6 months does not live with me.

what happened at yours?
did they accuse you of anything?
dis the question every bank statement transaction?

i'm really worried

kingfisherblue

I've had two, both several years ago. I am my son's carer, and claim Carer's Allowance and Income Support.


Interview 1:
Random checks sometimes take place. Someone in an office noted that I had declared being a Brownie leader. I had asked if this was allowed when I first claimed IS, as it is a voluntary position. I was allowed, providing I did not get paid. I had to ask my Division Commissioner to send a letter stating that I am a volunteer and as such, do not receive any payment. This was requested at the time of claiming IS, and it was sent within a week of the request being made. The interviewer had not read my case file before seeing me, and when she saw why I was there, she laughed and said that she couldn't believe it. It was quite clear that my role os voluntary, and she said that I should never have been called in. She also told me that she was going to report the error (calling me in about a proven voluntary position) because it had put me under stress, which I didn't need. We ended up chatting about what her own daughter had done in Brownies and how much she enjoyed it. No further action was taken.


Interview 2:
I used to employ a friend to look after my disabled son once a week. The council had awarded Direct Payments for this, which were put into a separate bank account (which I had declared to the DWP at the time of opening, and the reason why I had the account). The DWP received a malicious phone call to say that I had been overheard on the school playground, bragging to my friend (the one who looked after my son) about how I had 'creamed off' some of the money that I should have been paying her. I immediately offered the telephone number of the council department that administers Direct Payments (all council departments in my area began with the same prefix, not used in any other local numbers). I explained that I provided monthly paperwork proving where the money had gone (to the friend that I employed), to the council. I was also willing to go home and collect the copies from my fuiles, and return to the interviewer with the paerwork that proved where the money went. In addition, I told the interviewer that although my children attended the same school as my friend's children, mine were older, and I took them in via the junior playground. My friend, however, did not go into that playground because the nursery has a separate one, which is where she took her child. It was therefore impossible for anyone to overhear us speaking on the playground, as we were not in the same one. The school could confirm that I always took my son in via the junior playground (due to his disabilities, I never left him until he was in the care of his 1:1 teaching assistant), and my friend always handed her own child over to the nursery via the nursery playground - she couldn't leave him due to his age. Neither of us had anyone else who could take our children.
I also pointed out that if I was 'creaming off' (a phrase that I would never use) money that I was supposed to be paying her, I would not be telling my friend about it! The same friend was also called in for a compliance interview because she was working for me (she had requested and received permission before beginning the work, and provided her monthly payslips to show that she was earning less than £20 a week, which was the amount allowed as earnings before any benefit was deducted - I don't know how much it is now).

The interviewer declined the offer to bring in any evidence, but asked if there was anyone with a grudge against me. I didn't know of anyone, but the interviewer said that it was likely to be someone who knew both my friend and I, plus the fact that she babysat for me. Soon after, a mutual friend decided to break contact with both of us. It seems that she was probably the person who made the malicious call.

No further action was taken.


In both cases, I was innocent of any wrongdoing. It was horrible being accused of dishonesty of any sort. Both cases were over ten years ago. Although I was treated politely by both interviewers, the second one did start off quite sternly.

pmlindyloo

fairylights80 wrote: »

hi everyone.

curious as to what your experience with a conpliance interview with the DWP was like. (i have one in a weeks time - NOT under caution.) i'm also unsure why they have asked me to go in. currently claiming PIP and ESA. my partner of 6 months does not live with me.

what happened at yours?
did they accuse you of anything?
dis the question every bank statement transaction?

i'm really worried

If you have done nothing wrong then you have nothing to be worried about.

A fair number of cases are to do with some busybody reporting you for something.

Just a 'heads up' best to refer to your significant other as your boy/girl friend as partner usually implies that you are living together.

You mention bank statements. Are there transactions there that the DWP might question?

Is there anybody else linked to your address through car insurance/credit cards etc etc?

fairylights80

no, everything is paid for by me and in my own name. i just wonder what the DWP will make of most of my money being wasted on clothes and things for my daughter. if i hit a manic episode i spend money like there is no tomorrow. but i only ever seem to keep about £300 in my account.

there is no papertrail to anyone, although i seem to still get mail for the previous tennant.

TELLIT01

Two people don't necessarily have to live in the same property full time to be considered a 'couple' for benefit purposes. If you partner spends the majority of the time with you it could be enough to get alarm bells ringing at DWP. Simply be honest when answering questions as basically the same question may be asked at a different point during the interview, but done in a different way.

poppy12345

fairylights80 wrote: »

no, everything is paid for by me and in my own name. i just wonder what the DWP will make of most of my money being wasted on clothes and things for my daughter. if i hit a manic episode i spend money like there is no tomorrow. but i only ever seem to keep about £300 in my account.

there is no papertrail to anyone, although i seem to still get mail for the previous tennant.

DWP won't be interested in you spending your money on buying your daughter clothes. This isn't what the compliance interview is about.