Advantis - requesting overpaid carers allowance from DWP

[tarm39]

Advantis for DWP overpayment of carers allowance.

 

I've only just moved into my own house and they've sent a letter asking for my whereabouts and a business matter that needs my urgent attention.

 

I have found out from the DWP and carers that I owe £1,131 and Advantis want me to go through an affordability assessment. 

 

I am not sure who owns the debt, DWP or Advantis and where I stand with this 

[tarm39]

Hello all, 

 

I have received a letter from Advantis in regards to an overpayment of carers allowance I received when I got a job whilst I was caring for my mother. I did not know I had to inform them etc. 

 

Long story short, I had a compliance phonecall with carers and nothing more was said. 

 

I stopped caring for my mum shortly after and cancelled my carers allowance too. 

 

I was employed for 4 months at the beginning of 2018. 

 

Apparently the DWP and carers have sent letters but I haven't responded so they've gone through Advantis to recover the amount owed. I moved house shortly after cancelling everything and had no contact from them at all. 

 

They sent letters to my previous address so they told me that's why it's been passed onto Advantis. 

 

Today DWP told me that the only thing they can do is take payment in full, or deal with Advantis to come up with a payment plan. 

 

I spoke to Advantis who asked me to pay in full or in two installments, I refused and they then said they've put my account on hold for 30 days whilst I go away and work out my monthly income etc so they can go through an affordability assessment to work out how much I can pay back and how often. 

 

 

What shall I do? DWP tell me there's nothing they can do as it's been passed onto Advantis. 

 

Advantis tell me they are working on behalf of the DWP... Nobody will tell me who owns the debt.

 

 

What shall I do? 

 

Thank you all in advance for your amazing help. 

 

 

[dx100uk]

ignore advantis totally 

you should NEVER ring a DCA either on any debt!!

 

deal with DWP directly regardless to what they say on the phone.

 

are you sure they are correct with the 'debt'/amount?

if not use their SAR link on their website and get all the data

 

 

[tarm39]

DWP are telling me they can't do anything now and I need to speak to Advantis or just pay the DWP in full. 

 

Which I can't do. 

 

Yeah I am sure the debt amount is correct but don't want to deal with Advantis and would rather not go through them. If DWP don't get the money from me through Advantis what will happen then? 

[dx100uk]

no much they can do but take it out of future benefits. Or paye aeo.

 

get the sar running

see the DWP website

and IGNORE advantis totally

 

you can pay DWP directly in instalments 1000's are.

[unclebulgaria67]

You could contact Carers Allowance to ask for copies of the overpayment paperwork to be sent to you. Or ask in the SAR to DWP for copies of the paperwork.

 

If you earned above a certain level, then I suspect that for each week where your income exceeded the threshold, all of the Carers Allowance is repayable. And they may have added an administrative penalty.

 

 

[Will Goodfellow]

The DWP owns the debt, it does not sell debts as commercial companies do.

If you ignore Advantis, it will eventually give up and pass the administration of the debt back to the DWP.

 

If you do not make a payment arrangement with the DWP at that stage, the next step is likely to be a Direct Earnings Attachment if you are on the PAYE system or deductions from any current benefits.

 

The debt will be deducted from your wages at a set percentage depending on how much you earn.

It is better to try to negotiate an affordable repayment plan before that happens.

[tarm39]

Hello all, 

 

 I ignored the letter advantis sent demanding the money in full immediately or if I can't pay then to organise a payment plan after they do their own affordability assessment... I know they will do their best to make me pay the absolute maximum possible so I took people's advice and ignored that letter.

 

This was over 2 weeks ago and I've not heard anything back.

Should I contact the DWP or just await a letter from them as I guess the debt will just get passed back to the DWP from advantis?

 

Advantis also stated that they would "take it further" if I didn't reply "immediately" but im aware DCAs can't do a thing based on some great advice on here from some very helpful people...

 

I just don't want to get some bailiffs turning up from the DWP.

I'm happy to pay an amount

I can afford per month to the DWP themselves 

but I do not want to deal with advantis at all...

 

What do you think the best course of action is for me?

Can the DWP make me pay it back and if so how?

 

Also to note, I am self employed so I won't ever be involved with PAYE as I don't earn a set wage and I'm not employed.

I don't get any benefits either. 

 

Not sure if that really makes much of a difference or not but wanted to mention it just in case. 

[dx100uk]

bailiffs?? where did ever get that idea come from??

there are no such things as dwp bailiffs

and a dca most certainly are not ever bailiffs and can never involve a bailiff .

 

did you do that DWP sar as advised 

got all the data yet to prove the DWP claim?

 

 

[tarm39]

Hello again everyone...

 

I wanted to update you all on this,

 

Advantis gave up and then I started getting letters through the post from Resolvecall with the same thing.

 

Iv'e had 4 letters and ive been contacted by phone at least once every two days this month , 

 

I took out a bank loan to pay off a previous debt I had with amigo loans and I took out extra to pay this debt off too...

 

I owe this debt to the DWP and I am pretty sure that it won't just "go away". At some point, either now or in the future I would have to pay this debt off...

 

I am self-employed but about to change to employment and get a different job, I read that they can take it out of your wages and I would hate for any employer to know that I owe money to the DWP. Not only that, I would be at the mercy of the DWP then who would decide how much I should pay back each month and nobody wants to work to see their wage slip is nothing close to what it should be. 

 

I have paid this debt off... I contacted the DWP and no interest etc was added, and I have had confirmation that this debt is now cleared. 

 

I know for a fact that this was my mistake, when I was employed at the time for 4 months I just did not know I had to inform them about it, as i was about to stop being a carer for my mum anyway. So i definitely 100% owed this money, I just didn't want to be chased down by DCAs and bailiffs/ go to court over something that could be solved if I just pay it. Im now paying just £30 a month extra on my loan than I would have if I didn't have this DWP debt of £1131. 

 

I was harrased by these DCA's and I am extremely unhappy with the way that the DWP dealt with it... is there anything I can do to get some compensation or at least an apology? Is there any advice you can give me at all on this? 

 

Many. many thanks for your amazing work and advice...

 

 

Thank you! 

 

[dx100uk]

a dca is not a bailiff

they can't do court they don't own the debt and the DWP don't sell debts on.

 

 

[tarm39]

The debt is still with the DWP though one way or another and i'd still have to pay it off surely? 

 

It would have just got passed back to the DWP eventually after weeks/ months of harassment by them wouldn't it?

 

Even though the DCAs cant technically do anything, the DWP can i guess. So in the end id just have to deal with them and pay them either through the PAYe or in installments/in full. 

 

I just hate the way the DCA's are so ruthless and contact you so many times. Surely there's some law out there that stops companies being legally able to harass people like this if there's nothing that can really do other than ask for the money? 

[dx100uk]

but that's all a dca can do..hassle.