A client's sister has received a demand from the DWP for repayment of Carers Allowance from 1998/9! That's correct 1998/9!
Obviously after this time she has no idea it it is correct or not & is not used to dealing with the DWP or the Revenue
It's way out of my area but has anyone else come across this?
The problem is she can't just tell them to get lost, my initial reaction, because she's still receiving Benefits and they are taking repayments from it
Replies (5)
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"Obviously after this time
"Obviously after this time she has no idea it it is correct or not & is not used to dealing with the DWP or the Revenue"
I'm sorry, but that's a cop out.
First thing to do is establish why DWP think that there is a repayment due if they haven't already given you a reason. I Presume there will be an appeals process.
Earnings limited
Currently the DWP site says that you earn less than £102 a week (after taxes, care costs while you’re at work and 50% of what you pay into your pension)
They usually seek a repayment if you have other earnings which will in total exceed this limit, or the hours of care are not to the current 35 hours per week for example.
There can be some confusion with claiming income support as they can pay you on Income support but only if you are working less than 16 hours per week, therefore you cannot claim the Care allowance for working 35 hours per week. Her best option is the CAB for free of charge advice.
She obviously needs to request details of the grounds for this repayment .
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Thanks to you all
It's not really a cop out to say that "after all this time she doesn't know if the DWP are correct or not". The only work she has ever done is part time shop work and on an irregular basis & obviously doesn't have pay slips from that time but I'll advise her to go to CAB.
I think I'd struggle to get any of my clients to pay a 16 year old bill I'd forgotten about!
If I'm not mistaken you have to 'care' for 35 hours per week to qualifiy for carer's allowance. You say she used to work part time in a shop - could it be perhaps that she was overstating the amount of hours she said she spent being a carer? I also imagine that you must earn under a certain threshold from employment before having a deduction from carers allowance, perhaps she earned in excess of the threshold?
DWP can, and will, take the money owed to them by deducting it from any benefits she's currently receiving or may receive in the future.
I'd write a letter asking for a SAR (subject access request). This details exactly what the overpayment is for and when it occurred. It could be a case of it actually accruing over a period of years before the date on your letter in which case you'd struggle to prove otherwise. (eg, overpaid 1000 per year for 4 years or whatever).