Either Poundland were seriously over staffed by taking on this free labour or they should have employed that woman full time. Not sure I get any in between

Although working for JSA does make sense, especially when coupled with housing benefit, it can't be possible if there are no jobs available though, I mean, it would mean taking full paying jobs away from job seekers! Oh...

Online is January, but I am sure Tax credits (if you claim them) wants to see the confirmed income for last year, at the start of january, something like that anyway, I remember thinking it was before the deadline for self assessment,which confused me, hopefully someone can confirm that!

Have you tried out the benefits calculator on Turn2us?

well another update on Friday i received a letter from the social security agency to say that they would not be prosecuting me. im so glad because as i stated before i didn't think i was doing wrong. Obviously i will keep replaying the overpayment and will hopefully never be in this situation again.

 

thank you for all advice and reply

5k & they decided not to prosecute? Might be worth trying to appeal that over payment, or maybe it's too late. They must feel they don't have enough proof...

If there are 2 of you now & her earnings have gone down & you are earning nothing, then you would have thought you would both get more housing benefit?

Neither did I. It was all spent on the expenses of a new family - twins, as I was claiming as I was out of work - just the odd few cash in hand jobs when they came about. Probably earned no more than £700 over the two years but ended up repaying all of the benefits received for those two years - £12,000!!!

As well as spending a month in prison.

That completely sucks. And people wonder why you get fed up hearing the depressed card put out there. The trouble is, the penalties these days for benefit fraud aren't working as a deterrent, especially with single mums moving their boyfriends in. It's so easy to do it though, there are women on my facebook having their boyfriends stopping most nights in the week, young single mums with council properties & toddlers on full benefits, & boyfriends that live with mum & dad & find it more fun playing happy families at the girlfriends.

It's just down to luck when it comes to getting away with it or getting caught...

edit: I have got someone close to me that ended up in court for working at a temp agency for a couple of months back in the day, a recently ex boyfriend bubbled her to 'the social' & they turned up at the temp agency asking to see their records. £450 benefit fraud, had to pay it back out of future benefits, but no criminal record, we're talking the 80's, so way before you got a criminal record for it.

A married friend got her to go along with her to get a temp job, but the friend wasn't on benefits! I don't even think data matching went on then so unless someone grassed you up, it was probably hard to be found out?

Unless it's all changed, I think it's only DWP official errors that don't have to be paid back. To appeal on over payment with LA's, you have to convince them you didn't know you were being overpaid.

They overpaid me for 2 years when I started working part time after being on Income support for 10 years & I ended up paying back £1600 in housing & council tax benefit they had over paid. Even though I had given them everything they asked for when I started working. They based my wages on the first payslip instead of the works contract I had given them a copy of, & they hadn't ever asked me for a second payslip. The first one was only 3 weeks worth of work as I had started the week after the stores cut off for the last months wages!

They don't realise how messing up our claims can impact, I had taken on a bank loan for a car based on my finances, I wouldn't have done that if they had got it right in the first place.

I always say that going out to work was actually when I started getting a lot poorer!

Thanks for taking the time to respond. Ive asked the csa and they say they only pursue the claim which has been made and not really interested.

 

Full custody is with the nan and she is the claimant.

 

The mum makes contributions to the nan outside the csa. I would prefer to do this and could work with the mother on this. I think this is what the csa are starting to encourage but the nan doesnt seem keen.

 

Im going to start paying off the debt and getting the money to my daughter. I was just a bit concerned the nan was getting too much and maybe my daughter was not getting it all but thats another concern.

 

It would be interesting to know if there are two nrps, what the situation is. Im not sure where to turn for advice.

Unless your daughter goes & does her own shopping, pays rent to her nan etc etc, then she shouldn't get it all anyway? Kids cost money to raise. I don't understand why they are only pursuing you thought & not you AND your ex partner.

Sounds good. I like being self employed. Hoping I will still be able to once my working tax credits for the teens stop. By then Universal credit will have kicked in & I think i'll be lucky to scrape the £250 a week income in but we'll see nearer the time. But it is rather handy being self employed, even with the long hours!

Tax credits aren't based on any amount of savings. They would have a field day with me then, I have a paypal debit card, some weeks I don't touch my tax credits either, I can use the paypal card everywhere apart from the 99p store! I am self employed & sell online.

I'm self employed & claiming WTC/HB & CT Benefit. They are doing my head in that the moment though, upping them lowering my housing benefit, that's more to do with teens staying in education though.

If you are single, no dependents, you need to work at least 30 hours a week for WTC (used to be that anyway)

I pay National insurance by direct debit monthly, is about 12 quid. And that's right, as long as you work in the place you live (my kitchen is my work area) it's all good.

My house contents insurance had to be told though. It doesn't always add any extra cost on either.

Any proof of where he lives? Because if I was an investigator I would think all those things points to you living together. Actually it does point to it. Sorry to be harsh but that is likely what you're dealing with.

Having been to an IUC, I will say beware of them having the proof there of mail going to yours of his, the bank account issue. They are usually fairly ok people though that interview you, they're not the police & you can leave any time you like.

I think you're pretty safe where finances are concerned. But I would LOVE to know how you got on meeting up! My childrens dad (we have been split 11 yrs now) had children when we got together, the boys are in their 20's now & it was a similar story, distance, her family etc. And he has the boys on facebook now, but hasn't met them yet. It would be nice for my 2 to meet them as they are half siblings! My 2 are 18 & 16 now.

Anyway, would love to know how you got on if you ever come back to this thread.

Oh bless him, see if he'll postpone the IUC, it would be best if it's when you can go with him too?

I was invited to an IUC, to put my side across, I had been overpaid benefit & they wanted to know if I was actually aware of it. If I hadn't gone & put my side across, they may well have had enough evidence to prosecute me, I was advised by a benefits solicitor that I didn't have to go, sometimes he advises not to, & said if they have enough evidence they'll summons me to court, but in my case he said I probably should, so I did go, & I am glad I did.

No prosecution.

Benefit cheats rarely go to them saying they forgot to inform of a pay rise, I would forget about prosecution.

To prosecute someone, they need to be able to prove they intentionally tried to hide a change in circumstances. If you didn't go to them & explain it, & waited for them to contact you, which is pretty much certain to happen these days by the way, well....

A benefit solicitor will help you get that over payment down by working out exactly what small income you did get from carpentry work. This over payment is based on them taking back ALL of your benefits because so far they have no info to show you were actually entitled. You can't be having that.

I can only find the 0345 300 3900 hun. How come you stopped the claim completely first?

Incidentally - something which appears to have been missed in the replies from the things you have posted above, is that you readily admit that you have stayed over at your boyfriend's place and that he 'pays for everything when you are there' - that in itself is sufficient for them to say you are financially linked as when he is 'paying for everything' you are still claiming benefits elsewhere - you may not want to acknowledge that, and it may irritate you to have someone point it out, but far better for it to be clear that there is an obvious issue, rather than pretend none exists at all. One hopes you have a solicitor who knows what he is doing in order to reduce any impact on you.

I wonder if you have hit the nail on the head actually.

Ah, you own the house but were claiming housing benefit?

Hello there.

 

I'm not being facetious, but would you mind confirming how much they think the overpayment is please? I read it as £66 because of the full stop, but maybe you mean £66k.

 

My best, HB

I took it as 66k Honeybee. Awful situation to be in Ladychubbs

thank you both so much for replying.

it does help ,

I hope you are feeling ok lifeisamess as I feel awfull. I want to kill myself again but feel I cannot as I know my grown up daughter will be sad....

does anyone know how long it will take now if I was to be called in for a iuc or anything else?

Stay strong chick, you can't see it or even imagine it yet but it will end. And certainly not worth doing anything like that over. Just remember there are worse things that could happen to you. If you & yours have your health for example, I know it's hard but try remember that. Hang on in there.

It's actually a pita for these depts if people keep reporting the same claimants on no grounds I expect. They don't have any choice but to look into the reports. Look at it this way, if there was some ruling that said once they have checked someone out twice they can't anymore, how many claimants do you think will report themselves a couple of times whilst claiming above board, before actually moving Wayne Bloggs in & not notifying them, because they know they wont be investigated again now?

Blimey it's been some years since they went through peoples cupboards & counted the tooth brushes?

Sounds like you'll be ok, so don't worry. They could be visiting this time simply because they have changed the procedure that they do things, or it could be because it's the not the first time dufus next door has decided to brighten up their boring day worrying about your business.

I wouldn't feel bullied into not 'dating' him, or even forcing the getting back together issue. I nearly went all serious with someone a few years ago when the LA scared me off housing benefit.

Thankfully I didn't because the relationship didn't last long anyway.

Aren't drug users a minority, anyway?

That they are. My brother is one of the minority, but not heroin by the way, he is in the process of trying to find work. But JSA is seriously not enough to support a drug habit like people seem to believe. They don't use their benefits on electric/food/bills, all that goes to pot because they don't think like others do about things like that & they end up very ill!! It's not the life of riley that the Daily fail has people thinking.

It causes horrendous depression & a nasty vicious circle. And if drug addicts on benefits are anything like my brother, they owe people money before they even get the benefits every other week

It's a miserable sh** life. I would rather be earning minimum wage & at least eating something to be honest. Being in debt to a legal company would seem a dream to a drug addict I think..