Overpayment of Pension Collections

Big_Ed

Hi all, my mother received an overpayment of pension letter from the DWP about a year after my father passed away. I checked the payments made and found that there was one made on the day of his passing (technically while he was alive), but not after that. I also read the Martin Lewis post about ignoring these types of letters, so advised mum to just ignore.

Now about 6 months on, she has received a letter from a debt collection agency acting on behalf FCDO (Overseas Pension Dept) saying she must pay the amount or further action will be necessary.

Does the payment on the day of death count as an overpayment? and would it be worth contacting the FDCO or is it out of their hands now? Thanks for any advice on what to do.

Keep_pedalling

It would be an overpayment if payed in advance not if it was paid in arrears. Was your father living overseas at the time of his death?

Big_Ed

Keep_pedalling said:

It would be an overpayment if payed in advance not if it was paid in arrears. Was your father living overseas at the time of his death?

Thanks. Good points, how would I check if advance or arrears? Yes he was living in the UK (he had lived and worked in the UK most of his life).

Brie

Are you sure it isn't related to other benefits he was receiving rather than his state pension?

Keep_pedalling

Big_Ed said:

Keep_pedalling said:

It would be an overpayment if payed in advance not if it was paid in arrears. Was your father living overseas at the time of his death?

Thanks. Good points, how would I check if advance or arrears? Yes he was living in the UK (he had lived and worked in the UK most of his life).

So why has this come from the overseas pensions dept?

Spendless

Big_Ed said:

Keep_pedalling said:

It would be an overpayment if payed in advance not if it was paid in arrears. Was your father living overseas at the time of his death?

Thanks. Good points, how would I check if advance or arrears? Yes he was living in the UK (he had lived and worked in the UK most of his life).

Most of his life, so not all of his working life? I can only think it is somehow connected to that. 

London_1

Big_Ed said:

Hi all, my mother received an overpayment of pension letter from the DWP about a year after my father passed away. I checked the payments made and found that there was one made on the day of his passing (technically while he was alive), but not after that. I also read the Martin Lewis post about ignoring these types of letters, so advised mum to just ignore.

Now about 6 months on, she has received a letter from a debt collection agency acting on behalf FCDO (Overseas Pension Dept) saying she must pay the amount or further action will be necessary.

Does the payment on the day of death count as an overpayment? and would it be worth contacting the FDCO or is it out of their hands now? Thanks for any advice on what to do.

My late husband had his pension paid in on the Friday two days before his death on the Sunday,:(  within less than 7 days after my daughter had phoned them to tell them her Dad had sadly died I received a letter insisting I returned the greater part of it immediatly
.My husband hadn't even been buried, and I was in a dreadful state as it had been very sudden  

My daughter bless her took over and was on the phone straight away, and it was returned to them but she did make a complaint about how upset I had been and she sorted everything out for me .
Luckily she is pretty good at this sort of thing, as having lost my husband whom I had spent two thirds of my life with I was really not in any sort of state to do anything.

Its bad enough losing someone, without coping with mail about it immediatly,  true he was 13 years older than I was, and I was still, back then, (2003) under pensionable age)  but I thought it was basically almost cruel. I hope you can sort it out I know the government are keen to get money from us but to set debt collectors on a widow is disgusting

Suzycoll

Big_Ed said:

Hi all, my mother received an overpayment of pension letter from the DWP about a year after my father passed away. I checked the payments made and found that there was one made on the day of his passing (technically while he was alive), but not after that. I also read the Martin Lewis post about ignoring these types of letters, so advised mum to just ignore.

Now about 6 months on, she has received a letter from a debt collection agency acting on behalf FCDO (Overseas Pension Dept) saying she must pay the amount or further action will be necessary.

Does the payment on the day of death count as an overpayment? and would it be worth contacting the FDCO or is it out of their hands now? Thanks for any advice on what to do.

Hi
1- check if SP was paid in arrears. If it was you will owe it back
2- WHY was the letter from FCDO if he was not living overseas ? 

bobster2

Suzycoll said:

Hi
1- check if SP was paid in arrears. If it was you will owe it back

I think you've got this backwards.

JGB1955

SP is paid in arrears.  Nothing to pay back (in my consideration).  My father died the day after his SP was paid.  Nothing was due.