Four year old Universal Credit debt letter received

Myci85

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82102527#Comment_82102527

You're right, my employer's payroll was late reporting the earnings, so when I received my UC statement and saw it showed no earnings for me, I had to keep contacting them in my journal so that I could manually provide my income details. Once this happened, they were then able to calculate the overpayment, and I paid this back as a lump sum. I can only imagine that since them calculating this based on my self-reported income, they have later received the incorrect income details from HMRC which has caused a further recalculation of what they believe I was overpaid.

I have contacted DWP and other than being able to tell me the debt relates to overpayment of UC within that claim period, they just direct me to UC for more detail as they say that is all the information they are given.

I have spent hours of my time trying to look into this this week, including calling DWP, UC, HMRC, my old payroll company. Twice I have been promised by UC they are escalating it to a case manager who will call me back within 48 hours and this does not happen. Tried to call them again this morning to find out what I need to do to ensure their calculations are using the correct figures, and I'm just again told they will escalate it, and apparently there is no one I can be put through to. Feeling very frustrated, and looks like I may have to do as you suggested and take time to visit my local jobcentre and hope I can sort it out with them in person.

NedS

@Myci85 wrote:

You're right, my employer's payroll was late reporting the earnings, so when I received my UC statement and saw it showed no earnings for me, I had to keep contacting them in my journal so that I could manually
provide my income details. Once this happened, they were then able to calculate the overpayment, and I paid this back as a lump sum. I can only imagine that since them calculating this based on my self-reported income, they have later received the incorrect income details from HMRC which has caused a further recalculation of what they believe I was overpaid.

When a claimant self reports earnings, and those earnings are later reported on RTI and for whatever reason the two amounts do not match, the system will use the higher of the two amounts when (re)calculating the UC award.

For example, if you earned £1000 per month and self-reported 3 months earnings as:

£1000, £1000, £1000

and RTI later provided earnings of:

£500, £1500, £1000

the UC system would use the higher of each value:

£1000, £1500, £1000

a total of £ 3500, even though both methods show earnings totalling £3000 for the period.

Myci85

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82102727#Comment_82102727

That's helpful to know, thank you.

Unfortunately it gets worse. Called DWP again this morning to see where we stand with their deadline to start repaying, baring in mind this is clearly going to take some indepth unpicking. They expect debt repayments to start regardless it seems.

I then asked them to confirm what previous lump sums they can see I made them, as UC have no record of these. Apparently DWP have no record of them either! He got me to check my bank statement to see who the payments went to, and that I had included the correct NI number as reference so it wouldn't have been allocated to the wrong account, and all is showing currently my end. But he can see absolutely nothing their end.

So the current state of play is that my online tax account in no way reflects my actual payslips or earnings, we're being chased for a debt of almost £1700, and they appear to have lost the almost £1200 overpayment that I paid back as lump sums at the time. Happy Friday!