Help - didn't inform DWP i was Working i have probably had a £900 over payment

[vialli69]

Hi, Please don't judge.

 

After being made redundant for the 4th time in 5 years.

I started signing on in September 2015.

I took a trial self employed position with a company back in December 2015

and was working around 12 hours a week

 

 

i never declared this to the DWP as i hated the job and after 7 weeks i quit.

 

This morning i received a letter form the DWP asking for me to come in for a interview>

 

 

It reads "we are reviewing your benefit claim"

Come to your meeting to keep us up to date.

I called the number on the letter and it was from a women who works n the fraud and error department.

 

I Have probably shot myself in the foot as i just the called the main phone line

and have signed off and have decided to start my own business sooner than i wanted,

 

My questions is now that i have signed off and no longer need to attend this interview. will that be that ? .

 

 

I know i have behaved badly and i feel sick with guilt and i have probably had a £900 over payment

[Bazooka Boo]

Relax, have a read around and see how many hours you are 'permitted' to work whilst claiming social security.

 

Don't beat yourself up about it, god knows that this department isn't racked with guilt or worry about the thousands of claimants they have killed.

 

I think? off the top of my noggin? that you're allowed to work 16 hours a week and still be in receipt of social security.

 

The interrogation was quite likely a random one, to ensure you were getting all that you were entitled to.

[antone]

First off, £900 isn't really that much in the grand scheme of things. You may not even have been overpaid that much: since you were only working 12 hours per week you didn't automatically lose your entitlement to JSA. If you earned less than your weekly JSA amount (plus £5 if you're single, £10 if your claim was a couple claim) then you might have been entitled to the difference as JSA provided you met all the general conditions of entitlement - you were signing on and actively seeking work during that time.

 

However, signing off will not make this go away. You did, after all, fail to declare a change in your circumstances which, as you are aware, would have affected your entitlement. I'd advise you to attend the interview and explain the situation honestly. Easier said than done, I realise, but it's the best and safest thing to do in the long run.

[ripples]

You might want to wait until you know why they actually wanted to see you before admitting fraud. It might have been a standard letter where they review your a claim ask for proof of who you are and you sign a form to say nothing has changed. Don't fret until you need to do so.

[vialli69]

Thanks, well i have just got a new job ans start on Monday so won't be able to attend anyway. So i guess i shall leave it with them.

[sillygirl1]

You are shooting yourself in the foot again. Not going to the interview could cause them to trawl through their records for about 7 years, checking every single piece of information they have - and they could demand to see your bank account for the last three or four years.

[Shoelover]

You are shooting yourself in the foot again. Not going to the interview could cause them to trawl through their records for about 7 years, checking every single piece of information they have - and they could demand to see your bank account for the last three or four years.

 

For £900 you won't face court. It sounds as if they are treating this as a compliance matter. I suggest you ring the compliance officer & discuss it. Just because you have signed off, it won't go away. These things have a habit of snowballing if left.

 

Sort it out and then move on. Hope the new job works out

[antone]

You might want to wait until you know why they actually wanted to see you before admitting fraud. It might have been a standard letter where they review your a claim ask for proof of who you are and you sign a form to say nothing has changed. Don't fret until you need to do so.

 

It's possible, of course, that this interview is about an entirely unrelated matter, but under no circumstances should anyone sign a form that says "I have nothing else I need to declare" when they do in fact have something that they need to declare. I would never advise anyone to ignore something like this and hope that it goes away: it will come up eventually. Might as well get it sorted now while it's a relatively minor problem.

[ripples]

It's possible, of course, that this interview is about an entirely unrelated matter, but under no circumstances should anyone sign a form that says "I have nothing else I need to declare" when they do in fact have something that they need to declare. I would never advise anyone to ignore something like this and hope that it goes away: it will come up eventually. Might as well get it sorted now while it's a relatively minor problem.

 

This is true I was merely pointing out that this could have been a review where at the end of the interview they ask you to sign a form. I was not advising on any particular action as this is to be determined by the OP himself at the relevant time

[vialli69]

Iv'e spoken to two different solicitors One says do not attend the other says to phone them.

 

I'm very confused

[mikeymack2002]

Ok let's look at this in a different way. If you failed to notify a change of circumstances correctly you can be overpaid.

 

If indeed this was an oversight or deliberate doesn't matter at this moment.

 

The DWP can make an attachment of earnings without getting a court order. Then you new employer will know you have a benefit overpayment. They may make an assumption it was fraud. You may lose the new job. ( the new employer may make the wrong assumption but will worry you may not be an honest person).

 

Just offering a different view and nothing more and letting you know the DWP can still reclaim the overpayment...

[Bazooka Boo]

I've spoken to two different solicitors One says do not attend the other says to phone them.

 

I'm very confused

 

Why not ring them and ask them? Say that you're no longer claiming social security and is there any need to go in for this interview?

 

If they say yes, then so be it, you go in, and will probably be back out in under five minutes when they see you're no longer in receipt of any social security.

 

If they say no, then ask them to send it you in writing for your records. If you don't receive any correspondence from them to the contrary then I would be very much inclined to attend this interview, this does not sound like it is an IUC (interview under caution) just a standard randomly plucked 'compliance interview'.