What Is An Overpayment?
An overpayment is an amount of Benefit which has been
paid but to which there is no entitlement under the rules. Overpayments
of Benefit can occur both in Housing & Council Tax Benefit.
Why Do Overpayments Occur?
Overpayments can occur because of many different factors.
A typical reason is when your income increases for a past period which
then reduces the level of Benefit awarded.
What Happens When An Overpayment Is Discovered?
When an overpayment is found, the following decisions are made:
We will then write to you shortly afterwards providing
you with more information. If we were making payments of Housing Benefit
to your landlord when the overpayment occurred, we will also write to
them.
What If The Overpayment Was Not My Fault?
If you actually reported a change to us and we did not act upon it for a long time, then we will not automatically ask for it to be repaid. Much will depend on whether you knew whether you were being overpaid Benefit at the relevant time.
Overpayments Due To Delayed Benefit Awards
Sometimes, you may be claiming Housing & Council
Tax Benefit whilst you are waiting for another Social Security Benefit
to be awarded. If you are then awarded the other Benefit, this may result
in an overpayment of Housing & Council Tax Benefit. We will usually
ask for this money to be repaid.
Overpayments Paid To Landlords
If we were paying Benefit to a landlord and then found
out that there had been an overpayment, we will normally ask the landlord
to pay the money back direct. However, if there is a good reason why we
should ask you for the money instead then we will do this. An example
could be where you had started work and had not told us and your landlord
could not have been expected to know that he was being overpaid. Each
overpayment case is considered on it's own merits.
How Do I Repay An Overpayment?
Normally, we will take a weekly amount back from your current Housing Benefit if you are still entitled. Otherwise, we will send you an invoice asking for you to repay the money. Either way, we can discuss repayment with you so that we do not ask you to pay too much each week.
Overpayments of Council Tax Benefit are transferred onto your Council Tax account and will then be included in your future instalments.
Further Information
If you have any questions about or would like any more information, please contact the Helpline on (01304) 872199.
Benefits Section
Dover District Council
White Cliffs Business Park
Dover
Kent
CT16 3PJ
E-mail: revenues@dover.gov.uk
