Hi all, help owing money to dwp

misunderstood65

Hi, im new and not sure if i am doing this right but here goes. My husband and i were moved to universal credit last year and now we supposedly owe over £2000.00 back as they say my husband never said he was having carers allowance. when it was set up we informed them he had the underlying entitlement to carers allowance but never received any money for it. they are demanding back this money, but we have never had any payment for carers allowance in our lifetime. all of this happened just before my husband passed away, i am currently trying to sort out a funeral but they have given me 28 days(about 10) now left. i am completely out of my depth as carers now refuse to tell me where (if at all) the money was being paid and universal credit has shut down my online system (which i found complicated and husband dealt with) and am now on a phone system. i have checked all of our joint bank account and he has never had a payment for carers allowanc. can any point me in the right direction so i can concentrate on my husbands funeral instead of all this worry please

Worried_fool

Contact your local MP.

sheramber

Is there a Welfare Rights service through your council ?

or contact Citizens Adivice for help.

born_again

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6663631/hi-all-help-owing-money-to-dwp

Sorry for the loss.

Did your husband care for anyone. As Carers Allowance is where you get a weekly £86.265 (26 rate) for caring for someone, who has the qualifying criteria.

UC also has a carers element (£209.34 (26 rate), but you can not get both at the same time as CA cancels out CE.

If you had said he was caring for someone & was not in the official terms of being a carer, & received the CE, then that part may be owed back.

https://www.gov.uk/carers-credit/eligibility

Spoonie_Turtle

UC also has a carers element (£209.34 (26 rate), but you can not get both at the same time as CA cancels out CE.

Someone can claim both, they just won't get extra money from doing so as CA is deducted from UC in full.

Which is probably what you meant but for someone who doesn't know the system the wording could sound like you can't claim both, so just wanted to clarify.

Jemma01

Sorry to hear this, and sorry for your loss.

You can call DWP and explain it all, you can also call about the 28 days to work through a plan if they can demonstrate the payment was issued and you owe them anything. They can also tell you where the money was paid to and when.

TimeLord1

Call 0800 916 0647 to dispute the debt and ask for a "recovery suspension" due to bereavement.

The 28-day limit is likely for amandatory reconsiderationn (MR)—this is your legal right to ask them to look at the decision again. Even if you don't have all the evidence yet, you must "lodge" the dispute to stop the debt collection.

​Call DWP Debt Management: 0800 916 0647 (8am–7:30pm).

​ "I want to lodge a Mandatory Reconsideration for an overpayment decision. My husband has passed away, I am arranging his funeral, and I dispute this debt entirely. I need a suspension of recovery while this is investigated."

​ Tell them your husband had "Underlying Entitlement" only. This means he was recognized as a carer but received £0 in cash because he had another "overlapping" benefit (like State Pension or ESA). Since he received no cash from Carer’s Allowance, there is no "double income" to pay back.

Also contact your local Citizen's Advice.

Sorry for your loss, and difficult time your having.

born_again

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81958512#Comment_81958512

Yes, that is what I meant 👍

misunderstood65

Thank you all for your replies. my son has taken over the problem as my mental health was getting worse. UC dont give any answers and just keep saying it is what it is. They make no effort to show me anything so we have requested all documentation since the claim started last year as well as journal entries etc as they have now logged me out and i dont have any access. We finally got through to carers allowance and they have confirmed that there has never been any payment made and will be sending a letter of confirmation to myself. they will also forward this to uc. we tried to get an extension for the mandatory consideration but was totally refused, even with the current bereavement. I will try the numbers and actions timelord1 has suggested tomorrow. wish me luck and thanks sooo much