Pension Credit £212 overpayment?

[estellyn]

Any overpayment by the DWP due to official error is nor recoverable under social security law - as long as they have all the correct info, if they make an error they can ask for the money back - but you don't have to pay it.

 

Please someone correct me if this has changed recently?

[estellyn]

The only time it is recoverable is if its a bacs error - but if it has your nino, this seems unlikely.

[estellyn]

are you on middle or high rate care of dla, and does your wife get care element of pip? If so you may not have been being paid the double sdp element you would be entitled to which is around £120 a week.

[estellyn]

Yes, you're entitled to it, so enjoy the windfall - your pension credit should now be £120 ish a week more, also.

 

Do either of you get state pension of more than £62.10 a week?

[estellyn]

But is either of them more than £62.10? If either of you does have state pension more than £62.10 you can claim carer's allowance for the other (if you don't already claim it), you then get underlying entitlement to ca (no actual carer's allowance) and an additional sum of pension credit of just over £30 a week for each carer's allowance. don't claim if state pension is under £62.10 as you would then lose the severe disability premium you've just received.

[estellyn]

sdp is badly named really, as it is actually a payment taking into account that life is more difficult to manage being a disabled person living alone or two disabled people living together. Not sure what a good alternative name would be though.

 

If your wife claims carer's allowance she wouldn't actually be paid any, so you wouldn't have to worry about exploiting. All that happens is that she gets awarded 'underlying entitlement' and you get an additional amount of pension credit of £34.60 a week.