I have since spoken with the CAB and they could not offer me any help directly but put me in touch with Community Legal Advice. I am still unsure about what to do next, will read the paperwork from CLA when it arrives. I have read elsewhere on this forum that they 'rub their hands with glee' at a confession and am still severely worried and losing sleep/not eating properly with regards to what will happen to me and what I should do next. Should I really ring them and admit what has happened, from what I have read they will not allow me any benefits so how am I supposed to live and pay my rent etc and before somebody says I should have thought about this before I KNOW that now.

Who are the best people to ring to sort out paying back what I shouldn't have claimed, is it via the 'benefit fraud' line or should I go into my local JobCentre Plus office, also am I likely to get any decent advice if I go to CAB ? Thanks for the replies so far, just want to get this sorted.

It was a gift, technically no I didn't have to pay it off in one go but felt obliged to and wanted to finally be debt free for the first time in a long while in my life. But now through my own naivety/stupidity I have incurred more debt and just want to get back to zero even if it means I have nothing left.

Was about 4-5 months receiving benefits when I shouldn't have, I know it is a lot but didn't realise it made that much difference as it was a gift, I know now that it was the wrong thing to have done and feel really bad about it that is why I am looking for advice, but it would need to be free as need to keep the money to pay back the benefits I should not have received, will set up appointment with the CAB and take it from there.

I received 50k, spent 17k on a reliable car (including insurance etc), spent 13k on clearing debts and got about 6k left now

Hi all, hope you can help me with the best course of action for my predicament. I have been out of work for nearly 2 years and now and have been claiming JSA and housing benefit. Late last year, my parents gave me some money to get me a car (to help me get a job as I seemed to be turning work down due to lack of my own transport) and pay off a huge debt that had been acquired from a previous relationship. I did not declare this money (very stupid in hindsight) and continued to receive my benefits. I recently stopped receiving my benefits due to a few days break abroad. I have since not re-applied for benefits and am wracked with guilt over what I have done and it is causing me to not sleep. I currently have sufficient funds left to be able to pay back what I was paid from the time of my parents gift until I stopped receiving my benefits. What I really want to know is what will happen to me if I declare these facts and offer to pay back the money I should not have received and what is my best course of action.