carers allowance mistake

[Gem86]

Hi there I hope you can help me.

 

Last year sometime (I don't know the dates off the top of my head) I went on to carer's allowance from JSA to help my dad. (This year I also discovered I could apply for IS so I did and they also said I could still work as long as it was kept under the amount/hours) I looked up that I could work 16 hours a week and also make sure I don't earn above £95-£100 (different sites say differently! And they didn't confirm how much when I applied either)

 

Around September last year I took on some agency work, everything was fine as long as I kept it under the amount I needed to and I worked below 16hrs. But then it got to December, the agency gave me more work, and I took it.

 

It was over 16 hours and over the amount I should be paid, I FOOLISHLY have only realized that it wasn't declared! And this is me realizing now a year bloody later and I want to tell them but I'm so afraid they'll take legal action against me, but at the same time will be worse off if I don't, will they take court action against me? I can't handle it right now because my Dad is having some serious issues, which I suppose is what made me double check because I thought everything was fine, but then for some stupid reason I forgot I did that much work and I am freaking out right now.

 

One thing I'm sure of, we're talking about money in it's hundreds and not thousands at least. But I feel so stupid that I didn't declare it, if I owe money I will pay it back, I'm happy I've now noticed it but will they still have me for benefit fraud? =(

[jadeybags]

Quite unlikely if you're talking hundreds, they do have to decide to a certain extent if it's cost effective prosecuting someone for less than 2000. It's not free to take someone to court. If you let THEM know now that you have noticed this problem, that will go in your favour, if you offer to pay it back in installments even, that'll go in your favour.I would be very surprised if they took court action. But no one will be able to say for definite on here.

[jabba jones]

Last year sometime (I don't know the dates off the top of my head) I went on to carer's allowance from JSA to help my dad. (This year I also discovered I could apply for IS so I did and they also said I could still work as long as it was kept under the amount/hours) I looked up that I could work 16 hours a week and also make sure I don't earn above £95-£100 (different sites say differently! And they didn't confirm how much when I applied either) =(

 

Did you declare the work you did under 16 hours per week?

[id6052]

how long a period are we talking about? was it only for a few months? or has it been for the full year?

[id6052]

although you can work part time and retain carers allowance, it is my understanding that it may affect your entitlement to income support

 

were you claiming hb or ctb?

[id6052]

generally, if you openly admit an error by your own initiative, they are unlikely to take legal action against you (as you have not been cautioned, etc)

 

however if you make an admission after an investigation has commenced, they may take legal action (as their view would be that the only reason you admitted the error was because of the investigation)

Edited November 28, 2012 by id6052

[estellyn]

If it was a few weeks of income above the CA limit, then often it can be averaged out. But longer periods can't be averaged out, and any amount of hours/income needs to be declared for income support/housing benefit, if you were claiming at the time.

[Gem86]

Hi. I've never claimed housing or anything else while on CA and IS.

 

I was told if I worked under 16 hours and under a certain limit of money that I didn't need to declare, my god don't tell I did have to? I seriously only took the advice of the person at the Job Centre,

 

I'm also confused because their payslips are confusing, they're saying they paid me so much when I do not remember ever getting that much out of them, usually a day of work with them is £55, the payslips write down the rate of pay for the hours (usually 7.5) and somehow makeout that I deserve over £200, but I think that averages out over a month if I work more than one day, so I may well be within my rights to earn it, but I'm not 100% sure and started to panic a lot.

[jabba jones]

Hi. I've never claimed housing or anything else while on CA and IS.

 

I was told if I worked under 16 hours and under a certain limit of money that I didn't need to declare, my god don't tell I did have to? I seriously only took the advice of the person at the Job Centre,

 

All work has to be declared paid or unpaid.

 

Earlier you said you looked the rules up on the internet, now you are saying the Jobcentre told you, you didn't need to declare your work! I think you need to sort your story out because no advisor would tell you not to declare employment. You then need to gather evidence of all your wages together & let both the IS & CA departments know as soon as possible, before a potential Fraud Investigation starts.

[Gem86]

I'm sorry I mean that I looked up the amount I was allowed to be paid as I wasn't told that. But I swear to you I honestly didn't know that work had to be declared paid or unpaid.

[id6052]

hi gem

 

i appreciate that you may not have been aware at the time that there was an error with your benefits

 

however now that you are aware, i would advise notifying the earnings to the DWP to allow them to reassess your entitlement, as it is best to get it sorted out as soon as possible, before you risk things getting worse

 

hopefully they will not take any action other than ask you to repay any overpayment (if there is one)

[jabba jones]

I'm sorry I mean that I looked up the amount I was allowed to be paid as I wasn't told that. But I swear to you I honestly didn't know that work had to be declared paid or unpaid.

 

CA & IS have different rules for working.

 

For CA you can currently earn up to £100 per week.

 

For IS you must work less than 16 hrs per week & there is then a disregard (£10 or £20 from memory) based on your circumstances, where anything you earn over the disregard is taken off your IS pound for pound.

 

As I've already mentioned, get all you wage details together & let both IS & CA processing know asap.

& keep copies of everything!

[id6052]

For IS you must work less than 16 hrs per week & there is then a disregard (£10 or £20 from memory) based on your circumstances, where anything you earn over the disregard is taken off your IS pound for pound.

 

the earnings disregard is £20 per week for carers or lone parents

[Gem86]

Okay thanks for all your advice. I had my accountant friend come over this evening, and it's actually no where near as bad as I thought, when I did the jobs last year I was only in CA not IS, that was after (as I didn't know I could claim it) so I'm actually alright there after all, PHEW!

 

I think the reason I got into such an awful panic is because my dad, on another thread I made, is in trouble. And I have been getting major anxiety attacks because of it, where my brain tells me "arghhh you did this wrong and that wrong and what if this what if that" so I was looking into things too closely and not thinking straight when my brain can't process the information. My friend said I'm absolutely fine. And that it was infact declared after all.

 

However, now that I do have IS, any work I do I must declare and will declare to them, if it's over the amount allowed.

 

I'm sorry I was in such a state of confusion and wasting your time, due to other situations going on my brain isn't firing on all cylinders it seems. I need to see a doctor.