Housing Benefit issue

[TheValeterUK]

My wife started a part time job back in November for the Christmas period at a well know super market,
I informed the council benefits dept. by post of the change of circumstances and got on with life expecting a response.
Now being Christmas time I expected a delay of some sort, until TBH I totally forgot about the who issue and just got on with life, the wife continued to work at the said place as they asked her to stay on extra,

Now after the end of the tax year I get a nice letter from the benefits dept. asking me to come in for an interview as they think I’ve been making a dodgy claim,

I’m due in on the 12th and I have all my wife’s pay slips to hand, as we have nothing to hide but do any of you have any advise to be armed with before I go in there?

[bodge]

Your not allowed to make mistakes my friend only they can do that. If you wanna be armed then a 12 gauge is good at close quarters

[hurn]

did they say they recieved your letter,do you rely on them for other benefits
havnt had a great lot to do with the wankas but take a witness with you preferably someone with a bit of knowledge about there system,record your meeting and if they accuse you of anything then ask them to put it in writing and be careful on your answers try and not give them info that will eventually harm you ..if you arnt happy with there questions tell them yr going to seek legal advice before you enter into any discussions with them..and best of luck..stay cool

[TheValeterUK]

did they say they recieved your letter,do you rely on them for other benefits
havnt had a great lot to do with the wankas but take a witness with you preferably someone with a bit of knowledge about there system,record your meeting and if they accuse you of anything then ask them to put it in writing and be careful on your answers try and not give them info that will eventually harm you ..if you arnt happy with there questions tell them yr going to seek legal advice before you enter into any discussions with them..and best of luck..stay cool

there is no talk of getting my letter and no i don't get any other benefits, just HB and CTax, they claim they have over paid us by £2k,

[legaleagle]

Hi if you have a copy of the letter then take that in (if you have a a proof of passage then even better, but i'm guessing you don't). Take in any paperwork(wage slips/p45 if applicable) you have in relation to both your work (very important if your own work went down at all) as well as the most recent letters to do with any other benefit you claim. Just be honest and polite and it will get resolved very quickly (most likely on the day.) This will almost certainly be resolved by them making a deduction from your hoeing benefit (and most likely your council tax benefit as well) until the overpayment is cleared.

[hurn]

Hi if you have a copy of the letter then take that in (if you have a a proof of passage then even better, but i'm guessing you don't). Take in any paperwork(wage slips/p45 if applicable) you have in relation to both your work (very important if your own work went down at all) as well as the most recent letters to do with any other benefit you claim. Just be honest and polite and it will get resolved very quickly (most likely on the day.) This will almost certainly be resolved by them making a deduction from your hoeing benefit (and most likely your council tax benefit as well) until the overpayment is cleared.

yea but whos to say they have a overpayment .we all know the workers at the dhss are a bunch of arseholes even when they make mistakes
dont submitt any evidence untill you see there evidence and they have to prove you owe them the money first ,,ask to see all the paper work and get a copy of it to take to someone who knows the system.not a brief unless he is bent against there system unlike others who work to resolve things to the advantage of there system ..how many vunreable people do you think are trapped in the system who have been told they have a overpayment and just accept it because a system worker says so question it all as its as corrupt as the people who keep it moving

just remember you havnt actually had the money it has just been shuffled around on a computer bit of a con really you pay tax which funds the benefit which you claim back as hb then they say you have been overpayed with your own money get them to explain how they think it works then tell em to go fuck off

[TheValeterUK]

Hi if you have a copy of the letter then take that in (if you have a a proof of passage then even better, but i'm guessing you don't). Take in any paperwork(wage slips/p45 if applicable) you have in relation to both your work (very important if your own work went down at all) as well as the most recent letters to do with any other benefit you claim. Just be honest and polite and it will get resolved very quickly (most likely on the day.) This will almost certainly be resolved by them making a deduction from your hoeing benefit (and most likely your council tax benefit as well) until the overpayment is cleared.

I have a 2nd copy of the said letter i sent to them, i also have all her payslips, my last 3 years tax returns of my business failing and ending on a £ minus figure. folding up,

will take them all and see what they have to say at my fat folder on there table.

[umbongo82]

Hi if you have a copy of the letter then take that in (if you have a a proof of passage then even better, but i'm guessing you don't). Take in any paperwork(wage slips/p45 if applicable) you have in relation to both your work (very important if your own work went down at all) as well as the most recent letters to do with any other benefit you claim. Just be honest and polite and it will get resolved very quickly (most likely on the day.) This will almost certainly be resolved by them making a deduction from your hoeing benefit (and most likely your council tax benefit as well) until the overpayment is cleared.

I have a 2nd copy of the said letter i sent to them, i also have all her payslips, my last 3 years tax returns of my business failing and ending on a £ minus figure. folding up,

will take them all and see what they have to say at my fat folder on there table.

I shouldn't worry too much. If you can show the letter and all the relevant information they require, it should be quite obvious to them that you haven't attempted to defraud anyone but it any overpayment is down to postal issues. They would reasonably ask why did you not say anything when you were getting the same HB each week and had not received a response to your correspodence but that's by the by, it'll be put down to 'claimant error' so you shouldn't be fearful of prosecution. At least they're on the ball and trying to stop fraud but there'll always be cases such as this!

Hope it goes ok.

[TheValeterUK]

Hi if you have a copy of the letter then take that in (if you have a a proof of passage then even better, but i'm guessing you don't). Take in any paperwork(wage slips/p45 if applicable) you have in relation to both your work (very important if your own work went down at all) as well as the most recent letters to do with any other benefit you claim. Just be honest and polite and it will get resolved very quickly (most likely on the day.) This will almost certainly be resolved by them making a deduction from your hoeing benefit (and most likely your council tax benefit as well) until the overpayment is cleared.

I have a 2nd copy of the said letter i sent to them, i also have all her payslips, my last 3 years tax returns of my business failing and ending on a £ minus figure. folding up,

will take them all and see what they have to say at my fat folder on there table.

I shouldn't worry too much. If you can show the letter and all the relevant information they require, it should be quite obvious to them that you haven't attempted to defraud anyone but it any overpayment is down to postal issues. They would reasonably ask why did you not say anything when you were getting the same HB each week and had not received a response to your correspodence but that's by the by, it'll be put down to 'claimant error' so you shouldn't be fearful of prosecution. At least they're on the ball and trying to stop fraud but there'll always be cases such as this!

Hope it goes ok.

To be 100% upfront i never considered it would be a HB issue but rather a working tax credit issue and be delt with at the end of the tax year in April, So when i never heard back from the HB then i just kinda looked upon it in that fashion, I gave my figures at the end of the year for my TAX return and re-newed the working tax credits with all the info on my loss and my wife's wages, Working tax credits said i should have informed them back in November but they said it was ok as it was my 1st error and declared it in good time,

Oh well, i will be in at 10am with the bigger boys, if they get a bit off beat with me i will retire on the grounds of seeking legal advise.