Benefit overpayment
An overpayment of benefit happens when benefit is paid to you which you are not entitled to.
Why have I got an overpayment?
There are several reasons why you may have received an overpayment of benefit.
- You may have forgotten to let us know that your income has increased, for example, a pay rise or a change in tax credit or pension, etc.
- Somebody may have moved into or out of your home
- If you have other adults living with you and their circumstances may have changed
- You may have moved out of your home and not told us
- You may have started work, or changed jobs
Please do not rely on anyone else to tell us about any changes. You are required by law to tell us.
How will I know if I've got an overpayment?
If you're overpaid, we'll send you a letter telling you how much you owe, the period of the overpayment and the reason you've been overpaid. You then have a month to contact us either to appeal against the decision or arrange to pay the money back
How we recover overpayments
We will either reduce the level of future benefit we pay you, or we'll send you an invoice. If your housing benefit was paid to your landlord, we may contact them to make arrangements for the money to be repaid. In turn, they may contact you to recover the money.
If you think your benefit is wrong, contact us as soon as possible.
