How do I pay back an
overpayment?
When a Housing
Benefit overpayment occurs, we will look in to the reasons why
and decide if it is recoverable and who it should be
recovered from.
If your payments have been
made direct to a landlord, we may decide to recover the overpayment
from them. Alternatively, we may decide that you are the
responsible person for paying back the overpayment.
If you are still in receipt of
on-going Housing Benefit
We will make a
weekly deduction from this benefit, this is known as
a weekly reclaim.
The amount in which we decide to
recover each week may differ depending on the amount of
benefit you are in receipt of. This amount maybe
negotiable, but any requests will need to be put in
writing. We cannot say this will be acceptable but we
will consider your request on an individual basis.
To avoid any future overpayments,
please inform us immediately if your circumstances
change.
If you are no longer in receipt of
Housing Benefit
We will send you an invoice for the
amount of the overpayment.
You can then pay this back to us
by:
What if I don't pay?
If you fail to make a
payment, we may ask the Department of Work and Pensions to
make deductions from any benefits which you may receive from
them.
If you are not in receipt of any
other benefits, we may consider registering your
debt with the County Court.
This will enable us to gain
several different recovery options:
- We can ask your
employer to deduct the money out of your salary (attachment of
earnings).
- We can take money
directly from any bank account.
- We can instruct
a collection agency to collect the debt on our
behalf.
As well as being responsible
for repaying any additional costs that are incurred, your credit
rating may also be affected.
What if I cannot afford to
repay my overpayment?
If you cannot afford the
weekly deductions from your benefit, or the amount agreed on
your payment arrangement you need to contact our offices without
delay.
Please do not ignore any requests
for payments, we can help you with your payment
arrangements to make them suit your financial circumstances
better.
To gain general advice and
guidance about Housing Benefit & Council Tax Benefit in the uk,
please visit www.benefit-leaflets.org. These
leaflets are available in several
languages.
Contacts
| Benefit
Enquiries |
Revenues &
Benefits |
| Telephone: (01902) 696668 |
South Staffordshire Council |
| Fax: (01902) 696630 |
P.O. Box 1644 |
| Email: benefits@sstaffs.gov.uk |
Wolverhampton |
| |
WV8 1ZF |
For information leaflets on Housing and Council Tax Benefits
visit the National Benefits Leaflet website at www.benefit-leaflets.org/leaflets.asp
LGSL No: 71