UC Benefit overpayment letter.

sargie

Hi everyone,
I made a claim for universal credit a while back I have been back in full time employment for almost 2 years now. I used to be a contractor and the nature of the job sometimes meant I was out of work for a month or so. I was on universal credit for a short time i received one payment of around £300 and then I found work. I was kept on universal credit for the next month at the advice of the claims advisor in case my new employment didn't work out and after that month was signed off with no further payments.

I did receive an advance payment at the start but assumed that, that payment had been recovered during the couple of months I was on UC as I only ever received one payment.
As I say that was almost 2 years ago now and I have just received a letter from the Debt Centre Trafford, Debt Management, Mail Handling Site. Stating that I owe them £1812.01!
It is most definitely a mistake, perhaps I owe them the advance payment but that was only £250, do they add charges at DWP?
Also I cant get through to them at the 0800 916 0647 number they provide I just get advised how to pay, put in a que and then get an engaged tone and cut off. the threat of the letter says they will set up an AOE which would be fine if i owed them the money. How can I get in touch with them?

KatrinaWaves

They dont add fines and charges no. If you only recieved £250 then you cannot owe that amount. 

However, is it definitely in reference to UC and not tax credits or any other debt? DWP now does tax credit debt recovery I believe.

sargie

KatrinaWaves said:

They dont add fines and charges no. If you only recieved £250 then you cannot owe that amount. 

However, is it definitely in reference to UC and not tax credits or any other debt? DWP now does tax credit debt recovery I believe.

I assume its UC as I don't claim tax credits. I cant get through to find out very frustrating!

KatrinaWaves

sargie said:

KatrinaWaves said:

They dont add fines and charges no. If you only recieved £250 then you cannot owe that amount. 

However, is it definitely in reference to UC and not tax credits or any other debt? DWP now does tax credit debt recovery I believe.

I assume its UC as I don't claim tax credits. I cant get through to find out very frustrating!

So you have never claimed any other type of benefit, ever?

poppy12345

HMRC will pass the debts onto DWP and they are starting to catch up with people that owe money.

calcotti

Am not clear from your opening post how much the UC advance payment was.

If you cannot get through on the phone you will have to write to them. Explain that you tried ringing but just keep getting cut off. Ask them to provide details of what the overpayment is for. 

sargie said: I assume its UC as I don't claim tax credits. I cant get through to find out very frustrating!

Have you ever claimed tax Credits. There is a lot of historic Tax Credit debt which has been passed by HMRC to DWP to collect.