About £7000 was spent on mortgage arrears and £4000 on other debts (utilities, etc). Ironically we learned recently that although DWP has, with our permission, been stopping £22 weekly from our benefit for over 18 months for gas arrears the gas company hasn't seen a penny of it! I don't know what's going on there. As for the rest of the money my partner spent it very quickly. It might as well have been thrown away. A few examples: £3500 on a holiday for my partner, my daughter and two friends. Money and holiday lost because my partner didn't get her passport in time. Another attempt, this time £2000 on a week in the Caribbean. Money and holiday lost because my daughter didn't get back in time to get the taxi to the airport. (A third attempt for the two of them did work out, £2000 for that one.) My partner bought me a laptop, a new pair of boots and an easy chair. That's not a dig, it's all I wanted. Because of my illness I have little interest in anything now. I'll be glad if I bear the brunt alone. My daughter (who has many issues) needs her mum far more than she needs me.

Thank you so much for the replies. I have contacted a solicitor and she will see me on Tuesday and accompany me to the interview next Friday. Yes, everything was quite above board with the claim until my partner received the inheritance and I neglected to report it. I tend to neglect everything these days. I've checked the period concerned and it's a bit longer than I thought, about 4 months in all. Calculating by your guide above it looks to be about £1000 Pension Credit overpayment. Adding to that (as I'm sure they will) would be the Council Tax relief overpayment, the Child Tax Credits overpayment and Child Benefit. On the same reckoning that's probably an additional few hundred pounds. Maybe, overestimating for safety, a total of £2000 for the 4 months. BTW will the DWP go after my partner too or will they rest content with my scalp?

The benefits concerned would be Pension Credit, although Council Tax and Child Tax Credits would be involved too I expect.

Here's the situation. I'm a 65 year old male living with my 56 year old partner. We have a 17 year old daughter. I've just had a letter to attend an interview under caution. My partner inherited about £40,000 from her father in July. We both lead practically separate lives now and although I live in the same house a nd claim for us I don't have much to do with anybody, keeping myself to myself and rarely going out. (I have diabetes, heart problems and depression). I didn't see much of the money although she did buy me a new laptop. the money was frittered away in the space of about two months, mostly on debt and huge mortgage arrears. There's nothing left now. The thing is I stupidly didn't declare it and as the claim is in my name I should have done. I kept meaning to but I'm terrible for putting things off. I realized that the DWP must have known about the inheritance. No attempt was made to hide the money. I don't have a bank account but it sat openly in my partner's account while it lasted. Now I have to attend this interview and I'm pretty scared. How likely am I to face jail time? It's the government statements on cracking down hard on fraud that terrify me. I can't believe I've been so stupid. I know a forum can't solve my problems but it helps a little just to talk about it.

Just saw your post, topcat. Could I do that? Doesn't acceptance of the £750 mean that I lose the right to go after more?

I've just checked my account. £750 paid in, "Goodwill refund". I wish I could afford to keep fighting but it's rather tempting to just take it. I am rather annoyed that they would just put it in like that, without making a formal offer. Clearly they're working on the theory that it's far more difficult to turn it down when it's actually in your account. They're right.

Yes, the claim was for £2400. It looks like I may have to decide now whether to settle for that or push on.

Finally reached the last stage of correspondence with Lloyds about repayment of bank charges. Now I'm more puzzled than ever. It seems to be a standard letter, a few paragraphs telling me how much they care for me, how easy they've made it to keep a check on your account, blah blah. Then this: "Generally we don't agree to adjust any of these charges, but I can tell you on this occasion we are prepared to repay you £ in full and final settlement of your complaint. We will credit this amount to your account within 10 working days. We will also cancel any charges that we may have told you about but have not yet been taken from your account. We will not refund any overdraft interest, standard account or service charges." That's exactly as it appears, ie a £ sign, no space for amount, just the sign. So does this mean that they're paying me nothing? It seems a very odd way of putting it if that's true. I've tried contacting them by phone but it's next to impossible to get through. I guess I'll know if nothing appears in my account within 10 days, I just wondered if anyone else had something similar.

Hi, I'm new to the forum. I've just received a response from Lloyds to my demand for repayment of charges. This is the relevant paragraph: " ............ the guidelines are about 'default' charges that people pay when they break an agreement with us. This doen't apply to your charges as these were for dealing with your request to go over your agreed overdraft limit. They are not default charges because you haven't broken your agreement. They are our prices for the service we provide in these situations." I haven't a clue what they mean. The charges, over a period of six years, were mainly Direct Debit charges, ie not enough funds to cover direct debits, and fees for exceeding overdrafts. They were charging me around £35 each time for the former and £20 each time for the latter. Because I'd let financial affairs lapse for much of the period these charges amounted to some £3000 over the space of mainly two or three years. They also say in the letter that the charges reflect the cost to them of administering the DDs, overdraft excesses, etc. Are they right? Are none of these charges covered by the law? I don't know what they mean by 'request to go over your overdraft'. I didn't request anything, each time I went over they hit me hard and increased my liability even further. Am I missing something? (Aside from financial acumen, that is!)