I think i have been overpaid housing benefit - what should i do? would you notify council?

Question

I was on job seeker's allowance for 3 weeks and my housing benefit has now come through - £703 - I think this is too much - what do you think? what would you do?

my rent is £240 a month

Answer 1

You must ask the question if you  think overpayment has been made you will have to pay it back!! Ask ASAP.

Answer 2

yes notify them otherwise they will find out and give you huge bill...bad times. So just avoid that situation by telling them.

Answer 3

If you think you've been overpaid, then let them know!!

If you have been paid too much and you get found out, the fine could be up to £3000 and you get a record as they will take you to court for fraudulently claiming money!

If you tell them now then payments can be adjusted very quickly and you avoid trouble. Good luck.

Answer 4

I would do so nad make a note of names etc.

If they have they will keep on paying you and when they tumble to it they will demad theri money back and that will course you real hardship r

Answer 5

You can't afford to get into debt with anyone.  Get in contact with the housing benefit people and ask them.

Answer 6

You get a run on from when you stop claiming until for first wage is paid.

Answer 7

come clean and tell them to check, if you dont and they realise you could end up in court for benefit fraud even though it wasnt entirely your fault and they will make you pay all of it back.

Answer 8

That's probably housing benefit and council tax benefit combined. Either way if your council tax isn't that high and you're not owed any back pay then i'd make them aware of the error straight away.

Answer 9

Has it been paid direct to you or no to your rent acct .

If the money has been paid direct to you then it won't include Council Tax Benefit as that is credited directly to the Council Tax Account,

If its just a letter telling what has been paid direct to the rent  acct /CTax acct then it may include council tax benefit in the total .

If your in doubt contact the council and ask.

Answer 10

It seems very high even with a combined Council tax and housing benefit payment.

What you should do is write and tell.

What I would do, I'd pay it back. I must admit that I'd be tempted not to. The rule on an official error overpayment (Housing Benefit Regulations 1987 Regulation 99(2), is that is not recoverable where the recipient couldn't reasonably know it was wrong. You don't have an argument under this as you do reasonably know it's wrong by posting this. I would know as i know the law on this. Some people would have been blissfully ignorant and not questioned this amount and spent it, they could have gotten away with it

In reference to some of the other answers:

The is no capacity for fines to be placed over payments within the housing benefit system

There are no regulations saying HB is paid for a minimum of 3 months (that would be an awesome waste of money)

For this to be accurate a with combined CTB/HB payment your council tax would have to be shockingly high (7600 pa) so it is an definitely an error.

Lastly if all the details you provided are correct then it is official error and can not be classed as fraud, so this doesn't come into it.

Answer 11

If in doubt, you could always spend it on a coke-can opener.................

Answer 12

No, this sounds quite reasonable to me, they seem to have paid you apparently over three weeks rent while you were claiming, but I think there may be a regulation in which housing benefit can only be assessed for a minimum of three months so this may be what has happened and they will adjust anything next year.  Unless you were invited to report a change in circumstances and didn't, they have assessed your benefit on the amounts you have told them, so you have given them the required information and they have made their assessment on the basis of that.  If they have made a mistake it is then their responsibility and not yours because you have fulfilled your side of the bargain.  It sounds okay to me, and I frankly wouldn't worry.

Answer 13

Can you afford to pay it back when they find out?

They will find out so its best to double check if they say its right and later its wrong you can appeal.