a deduction from earnings demand from (I think) the DWP

[Dispater]

Hi,

just before Christmas,

our finance manager got in touch with me to say that he had had a deduction from earnings demand from (I think) the DWP

with regard to overpaid Tax Credits (I'm assuming - it may have been JSA).

 

 

The total came to £650 and they took out half just before Christmas and half coming out end of January.

 

Now, first thing to say is that I have no problem paying what is owed and the second payment will go out as demnanded

and the matter will be closed.

 

 

However, to me it raised a few questions and I wondered if I might get some answers here.

 

Firstly, the only time I received such payments (and it was a mixture of JSA and tax credits) was when I was made redundant in 1999.

I remember there were certain problems thrown up by the fact that I was claiming both,

started a redundancy training course which meant a complicated system of signing off JSA to attend the course

and then signing back ON to JSA in order to keep payments up,

only one person in the Job Centre was able to understand the process fully.

 

 

My then wife managed to take on part time work and I asked at the job centre if this would affect payments

- they looked at the contract and said no.

 

 

We carried on in this way for several months before getting a call to say we weren't entitled to JSA because of her work and wanted a repayment.

 

 

My wife explained the situation and they agreed to let the matter drop. We heard nothing further.

 

Since this time - 15 years ago - I have gone back into full time employment,

having worked for 3 companies plus my own company for 1 year and heard nothing up until now.

 

 

I have also moved home and registered my new address on the electoral register.

 

My current company got the demand, with a copy sent to my previous address of several years ago.

Presumably I would have had the right to appeal or arrange a less difficult payment regime had they sent to my current address.

If they have my work address details how are my home address details so out of date?

I haven't lived there for 3-4 years.

 

I assume that where public funds are concerned there is no rule of statute barred?

 

 

The problem is, after 15 years I have no documents relating to the period of alleged overpayment

nor names of people who dealt with the initial query -

this seems a little unfair as it leaves me with no defence.

 

Like I said, I'm paying so this isn't a scream for help to get out of payment

but I'm extremely curious as to how this situation has come to pass.

 

Hope this is the right area to post in.

[dx100uk]

you certainly need to SAR DWP

its free so no £10 fee needed.

 

 

dx

[antone]

Aye, send a SAR. If you think (or are able to establish for sure) that some of the amount being claimed from you is Tax Credits, you may also need to send a SAR to HMRC as it's them that process and pay that benefit. As dx says, the DWP does not charge the £10 fee, but I'm not sure about HMRC.

 

You could also write to the Debt Management Team at the DWP and ask for an explanation as to how they worked out the figure you owe. Even if you're not planning to argue about it, it's perfectly reasonable, when someone demands money from you, to want to know how they arrived at their figures.

[citizenB]

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?406188-DWP-Subject-Access-Request-From-(SAR)

 

Draft request for sending SAR to DWP is in the link above.