Notice of a compliance telephone interview

Sparkleon

Hello,

I have just received this letter in the post and I am slightly freaking out. I am a single parent. Just myself and my 2 boys living in the house. I've been single for over a decade so no boyfriends etc. I am a full time uni student living on student maintenance loans and child tax credits. My youngest son is diagnosed Autism Spectrum Disorder and I receive high rate disability, low rate mobility for him. I also receive some housing benefits. I do not work. The documents it says I'll need for the call is bank statements, savings and investments, private pensions, earnings, property and immigration status. I'm british born, don't have any earnings, no pensions, savings or investments. The only money I have going in my account is maintenance loans, tax credits and DLA. 

I have anxiety and the thought of waiting 6 days for closure - its anxiety inducing. I think it may be to do with a change of circumstances as the letter says it but I've not had any change of circumstances. Any changes I've had, I have declared them all. I used to be on carers allowance and income support but when I started uni, I stopped the claim the day I started. I called the tax credits people and let them know too. Also called the housing benefits office and let them know too. 

I don't know what they think I have done?! 

TELLIT01

They don't necessarily think you have done anything wrong.  Compliance interviews are sometimes genuinely random.  From what you say you have nothing to be concerned about.  It's even possible they will pick up on a benefit which you are not claiming but could be eligible for.

huckster

I suspect, but I don't know for sure, that the maintenance loans hitting your Bank account have raised a query.  They may not have looked into the entries but are just aware of lump sums being credited to your account.

And from what you are saying, you have nothing to worry about, as you are able to clarify your finances.

Sparkleon

TELLIT01 said:

They don't necessarily think you have done anything wrong.  Compliance interviews are sometimes genuinely random.  From what you say you have nothing to be concerned about.  It's even possible they will pick up on a benefit which you are not claiming but could be eligible for.

I have just gone over my bank statements when I started uni and they were still paying me Income support and carers allowance, weeks after I stopped claiming. I remember calling them and asking why are they still paying me when i've cancelled my claim, and they said it does it automatically and will stop. It did stop and I'm not getting anything now so it could be that. 

I also worked a little job beginning of the year but it was 8 hours a week and I think I got paid £300 in total. It was only temporary. I got paid £185.28 in the March and £178.20 in the April. That was it. 

sourpuss2021

If you Google "Housing Benefit Award Accuracy Initiative", you will see that, on government orders, local authorities are routinely checking a lot more awards than they used to.   I don't think it will be anything personal, it's just something that as a housing benefit claimant you may have to go through each year now.   

It's strange though that they'd be asking for bank statements over the phone - are you sure they don't want them posted?

Sparkleon

sourpuss2021 said:

If you Google "Housing Benefit Award Accuracy Initiative", you will see that, on government orders, local authorities are routinely checking a lot more awards than they used to.   I don't think it will be anything personal, it's just something that as a housing benefit claimant you may have to go through each year now.   

It's strange though that they'd be asking for bank statements over the phone - are you sure they don't want them posted?

It says: please see below for a list of information you will need to refer to during this interview. bank statements, savings and investments, private pensions, earnings, property and immigration status. If its to do with the housing benefit,they had charged me bedroom tax for 5 years when they shouldnt have and I got it back. It could be anything to be honest and I'll be going mad until I get the phone call on Thursday I guess. 

poppy12345

Sparkleon said:

TELLIT01 said:

They don't necessarily think you have done anything wrong.  Compliance interviews are sometimes genuinely random.  From what you say you have nothing to be concerned about.  It's even possible they will pick up on a benefit which you are not claiming but could be eligible for.

I also worked a little job beginning of the year but it was 8 hours a week and I think I got paid £300 in total. It was only temporary. I got paid £185.28 in the March and £178.20 in the April. That was it. 

Were you working while you were claiming Income Support? If so did you report the changes to them? When claiming IS the first £20 of your earnings are disregarded, after this your IS is reduced £1 for £1.

Sparkleon

poppy12345 said:

Sparkleon said:

TELLIT01 said:

They don't necessarily think you have done anything wrong.  Compliance interviews are sometimes genuinely random.  From what you say you have nothing to be concerned about.  It's even possible they will pick up on a benefit which you are not claiming but could be eligible for.

I also worked a little job beginning of the year but it was 8 hours a week and I think I got paid £300 in total. It was only temporary. I got paid £185.28 in the March and £178.20 in the April. That was it. 

Were you working while you were claiming Income Support? If so did you report the changes to them? When claiming IS the first £20 of your earnings are disregarded, after this your IS is reduced £1 for £1.

no, I wasnt claiming any income support or carers allowance. I was only getting child tax credits. I started university September 19th I think, the day I started, I closed my claim for carers allowance and income support and did a change of circumstances for housing benefit. I started the job end of February and it ended beginning of April.