DWP Compliance interview

[Lucifer83]

Hi everyone,

 

This is my first post on this forum and I'm hoping I can get a bit of reassurance as I've gotten myself in to a bit of a state.

 

Almost 4 months s go I separated from my partner who is the father of my 2 children. I have been a stay at home parent since my eldest child was born so I had no choice but to start claiming income support, child tax credits and housing/council tax benefits.

 

My ex partner pays me maintenance each month which I declared at the time of maxing the claims. My eldest child is 4 and youngest is 14 months so I have a bit of saving grace and will not be pressured into finding work until my youngest is 5.

 

However being a benefits parent was never on my list of things to do so I have been taking steps to find full time employment and after attending the 1 mandatory meeting after my claim started I have also attended non mandatory meeting at my local job centre and also went in to them to put together a cv. I have this week applied for 6 full time jobs and 3 part time so I am actively searching and I am what to get off benefits.

 

On Friday, I got home from visiting the jobcentre to put together a CV and I had a letter from a compliance office saying that I have to attend an interview as they are revising my circumstances. The letter says 'We need to talk to you about some changes that may affect your benefits payments........' can anybody shed some light on this for me please, what could it be about? Do these meetings always mean fraud investigation as google searches keep telling me?

 

I'm still in a lot of contact with my ex because of our children and he visits the house most weekends but he is. It living here, he lives with his mother. I pay all the bills, other than the mainttenance that I have declared he does not contribute to the house or bills. I have recently opened a new savings account, could it possibly be that? I'm so nervous and have got myself in a bit of state to the point I can't sleep for worrying and have lost my appetite.

 

Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thank you.

Edited November 22, 2016 by honeybee13
Paras.

[honeybee13]

Hello and welcome to CAG.Compliance interviews are rarely as scary as the word sounds.

 

Have a read around this forum for compliance threads and you'll see that time after time, people come back and say they don't know what they were worried about. Sometimes compliance interviews can show that you aren't claiming everything you could claim.

 

Please have a read of other threads so you can see how it's likely to turn out. I think you'll be OK.

 

My best, HB

[Lucifer83]

Thank you. I've have just had a browse and I notice on a lot of the threads 'interviews under caution' is mentioned. Wouldnit state on the letter if I was going to be cautioned and recorded? There is no mention of it on the letter at, just what I said above and then a list of things I need to take with me like bank statements and photo id.

[tomtom256]

This will probably be a recent seperation visit just to check they have the right the circumstances and that you are claiming everything you are entitled to.

 

If it was an interview under caution it wouldn't be from a compliance officer and it would certainly state it was an interview under caution.

[antone]

Thank you. I've have just had a browse and I notice on a lot of the threads 'interviews under caution' is mentioned. Wouldnit state on the letter if I was going to be cautioned and recorded? There is no mention of it on the letter at, just what I said above and then a list of things I need to take with me like bank statements and photo id.

 

Yes, if you were going to be Interviewed Under Caution the letter would state that. Those interviews are conducted when the investigators want to keep open the possibility of future prosecution and nothing you've said in your opening post indicates that they're considering such a thing.

 

Most Compliance interviews are routine. It's possible that they want to make sure that you're not still living with your partner, but if they really thought you were doing something seriously wrong it wouldn't be the Compliance team you'd be speaking to.

[Lucifer83]

Thank you all so much for your help. I'm so nervous it's untrue but you've helped me relax a little. I'm going to call tomorrow to see if it will be ok to take my son with me as I'm not able to arrange child care. Is this usually a problem do you know?

[honeybee13]

I would have thought they would try to accommodate that if you're making the effort to go to a meeting. See what they say.

 

HB

[Lucifer83]

I've just called and spoken the compliance officer. She seemed pleasant enough over the phone. She said that I just need to take 3 months bank statements with and proof of my new savings account. She said it's ok to take my son as it's just go over all my capital and shouldn't take long.

[honeybee13]

That sounds encouraging, Lucifer.

 

Please keep us posted on how you're getting on.

 

Hugs, HB

[Guest]

I am sure you will be fine. My daughter had a letter to go for this a few years ago. In her case she had genuinely made an error in her calculations, it didn't amount to very much money but had flagged up for some reason. They were fine about it and she arranged to pay it back. A friend of mine in similar situation to yours also had this, and it was merely just to check through all the financial situation to make sure that SHE was getting all she was entitled to as well as not getting too much. She actually came away with more, i.e. a low earnings entitlement to free prescriptions etc. she wasn't working but wasn't claiming full benefits either so its not always a bad thing.

 

Let us know how it goes, the guys here give great advice and there is always a listening ear if nothing else. I have appreciated the support given here over the years I have been using this site.

[Lucifer83]

So just back from the interview. I was literally in and out in minutes. The compliance officer was lovely. She checked my id, asked how long I had lived at my address,who live there with me, looked through my bank statements and wrote down all of the payments in then gave them me back (didn't take copies of anything) and then just asked me to sign a statement confirming what we had done. She wasn't even aware I was newly single, she just said it was a checkup to check that all the details I gave when I originally claimed was the same. I got myself in a such a state and there was no need. Thank you everyone for all you reassurance and advise

[honeybee13]

That's great to hear, Lucifer, well done.

 

Are you expecting confirmation in writing from this lady?

 

HB

[Shoelover]

It's great when people pop back and do updates. Probably someone else worried about a compliance interview will find this and hopefully realise that it's nothing to panic about.

[*RainbowTears*]

Well done indeed!

 

These things are & can be very stressful indeed,(as was my own) so your experience can help those going through this..