Good morning all, please I need someone to guide me. I would like to know what sort of benefits can be available to someone that has been out of job for almost 2 years if their immigration status changes. Dued for Idenfinite Leave to Remain 3 years ago but UKBA actually advised them (husband and wife) to stop working considering the fact that they have children. It has really been challenging for the family. If there are benefits available to them, can the benefits be back dated in order to offset their debts, as they are seriously in huge debt. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you

Hey everyone, looking for some slight assistance. An ex partner of mine (we split in 2008 and I have had little or no contact with him since, bar the occasional facebook hello) passed away a month or so ago, something I was actually unaware of until the DWP sent me a letter informing me and asking for details regarding his death, care, estate etc etc as he was claiming disability living allowance. I have replied to them with a letter stating that I wasn't aware of his passing until they sent me the request and that I haven't lived with him since 2008 and that I'm not even sure how they even know my contact details as I never agreed to be mentioned on or signed anything whilst we were together. Has anyone else come across this before? Should my letter be enough to end this? Thanks!

I have just recieved a letter stating that i have an unpaid debt of £3972.00 for overpayment of income support from 1995 and overpayment of sickness benefit from 2001 and other debts i have no knowledge of. I have never been informed of any outstanding debt by them whatsoever. I remember 1995 i started work in november and did not tell them of any change until feb 1996. They invited me into there office and i admitted the oversight. I have no knowledge of any other outstanding debt to them. They are sending me the file. They said that if i dont pay them they will send a debt collection agency after me. They also said that the 6 year rule of statute barred does not apply to them and they will vigourously persue it. They said they had previously contacted me by letter sent to the wrong addresses. What should i do next??

Hi,hope someone can help,last oct(2012) i missed an apointment for a medical assesment because i got my dates mixed up.April(2013) I attended my reschedulled appointment but the medical asseser said she wasnt qualified to give a decision on my condition and i would have to attend again and see someone who could I got an appointment for 10am 24/10/2013 about a month/6 weeks before the date,then i think it was about the 6/10/2013 I recieved what i thought was the same appointment,and a "cancellation of app" letter,but the app was for 20 mins later,now because i misread the letter and didnt attend the app there stopping my benefit. they have told me there is no appeal,but i can request that they reviewe my reasons for not attending, can anyone tell me if the 2 missed app ruling still aplies if there not consecutive,or any other advice would be helpfull ] Thanks

DWP LETTER just got a letter today saying i owe 500.00 from 2005. for crisis loans, and stuff like that. i did take loans out with dss as it was known in those days im just not so sure about the dates they're telling me when i rang as im sure i was working then. he went through my records saying i had paid 700.00 back and i only have 500.00 to pay now. as this was taken of when i was claiming. i asked why so long in getting money back as it could of been paid by now as i was paying back money already to which i owed which i did pay back over the last 7 years its taken me i didnt mind that as it was due. what letter can i send as i would like to see the information for myself for this period in time as they cant say they couldnt find me to pay it off earlier as i have been paying stuff already and as i said that was on record that i have now paid that of. i dont have the money at the mo to pay back at what they want a month. thanks for help

Hello, I will keep it short. Have read the various threads and found them very useful. Out of the blue last week DWP Wrote to me requesting payment of £3109.00. £1,100 from 2002 and the balance for 2009. 2002, I can vaguely remember what happened in 2002, both JSA matters. 2002, had interview under caution no charges and no Court. I am sure they sold the debt to someone them gave it back then sold it again and since 2002 I have heard from them no more than twice, have no paperwork at all from then to remember anything else. 2009 debt, JSA matter, went to Court got convicted of benefit fraud, no order was made for me to pay. Started paying, lost job, they would take money from benefit, get job never heard from them again and I am in work out of work on JSA regularly but they never took any money from my JSA for years never heard from them. I am now working. Before anyone judges me re my conviction 6 years ago. I write to JSA and declared a change of circumstances for work of less than 16hrs, they told me I was still entitled to JSA so I kept claiming it...::: I ended up in Court and although hey kind of acknowledged their error I got convicted as technically it's fraud. Please could you give me advice how to reply to both th above. They have clumped the 2 debts together from 2002 and 2009. Are both now statute barred!!!!! Can they as they say contact my employer and take deductions. I really don't want that, can they take me to court or send bailiffs?? I understand there is some new rule form last year rhat that they can do an attachment to my earrings but I didn't think that was on debts that are old?? Please advise and let me know how to respond to their letter. Thank you.

So ive just come out of my sanction period just now from the 21st to the 30th , the sancation was for being 15 minitues late for a work program interview, there was really nothing i could do, the bus came to a stop in traffic jam and a heck of alot of passengers got on that day, very frustrated , i think it wasnt fare as i had no control what was happening, what do you think?

My husband and I separated 6 years ago due to his drinking. He stopped drinking then and is still dry now. When he left the family home he rented a property and as he he was receiving Incapacity Benefit he was encouraged to claim for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit. However he did not tell them he was getting a work pension ( having been medically retired due to depression and 2 suicide attempts) and his pension was paid into my account and I paid his rent. 6 months ago the council wrote to say they had received information about the pension and needed details. He contacted his pension provider and sent them the details for the last 6 years. He was then interviewed under caution with a solicitor and told them he had given me his pension due to my being in financial difficulties but did not tell them I paid his rent. Before this interview they had recalculated his claim and he owes £30000 which he is repaying monthly. However when he told them I had been receiving the money they told me they would be looking into my Income Support and CVouncil Tax Benefit claims as I was claiming as I was a carer for my parents. They called me for interview in January and my solicitor told me to give a no comment interview as he thinks what they were trying to do was get me to admit I helped my husband with his claim forms so they could prosecute me for fraud. I did help him with the forms because he was detoxing the first 4 weeks from the alcohol and was in no fit state to do it himself and indeed has no recollection of that time. he has sent a doctors letter confirming that to the local council. In Feb and March I was called to 2 more interviews but on solicitors advice I chose not to attend. He said that if they needed to find out information they could do it but I was not to provide any Fast forward to last week when I received a letter from DWP saying I owe £12000 because I was receiving extra income i.e. my husbands pension so was not entitled to Income Support. I phoned my solicitor with a view to asking for a Mandatory Reconsideration on the grounds i was actually paying his rent from that money. My solicitor said I should get a letter from my husband to say I was paying the rent and provide them with banks statement from my account to prove it and they may look at it that I was actually paying him maintenance by paying the rent. He also advised seeing the CAB. This I have done today and she says I need to go back to the solicitor to ask whether my giving them bank statements showing the rent payment is going against the no comment interview or is that and the reconsideration 2 separate issues. As it stands husband says he will only write a letter if Dwp or local council ask him too. So my question really is can 2 people be overpaid benefits for the same money i.e. the pension ??

HI Ive got a start date for a job for 15 hours a week ( 1st June). It is my first job since a major breakdown last year, ( suicide attempts, irrational behavior, [paranoia etc etc) I am on ESA now since January 5th and have my assessment a week on Saturday. However, do i tell them about my job offer at the assessment? I am terrified of people, being assaulted, being raped, etc When do i tell the DWP, i have the form ready to fill in. I need this job to help me back to my old self so i can look at getting back on my feet and getting back in to permanent work. However, without the extra ESA cash through permitted work i cannot afford to take the job. Silly as it seems, but i need it for my sanity. Please help I don't want to get into trouble but i feel stuck between a rock and a hard place Also, what happens to sick notes if you are working permitted work? Thanks

I got 2 texts from the DWP about half 9 tonight saying the following. We have received your change of circumstances to your JSA claim.You do not need to contact us. We have actioned your change of circumstances to your JSA.You do not need to contact us. The thing is i have not made any changes to my JSA claim in months.I am still signing on every 2 weeks and attending the Work Programme.I did fill out and hand a JSA28 form in to the jobcentre but that was 2 weeks ago.

I am hoping someone with some knowledge of help with funeral costs can help me out. My Mother and I have a joint bank current account, she has no savings and neither do I. Depending on the time of the month there can be up to £1000 or more in the account. I know already that when the time comes I qualify for a funeral payment as I get DLA as well as working tax credits, so that is not the issue. My Mother is 83 and not in good health so wants to have everything in order as most people do. We have been told that when the time comes the DWP will want to see a final bank statement as part of the process of qualifying for help, which is understandable. However as we have a joint account there will not be a final statement as it will just continue in my name only. So I am assuming they will accept just a current statement? The biggest worry is will they take whatever is in the account at that time to use towards the funeral costs? As it is a joint account not all the money in it belongs to her or me, so what happens? The bank said that any money in the account will become mine as that is how it works when one person dies and they have a joint account. So would they take that money and say it has to used to pay for the funeral? The money that is in the account is money for living costs, bills etc and not savings but if they use it, then how do I pay to live until the next time I get paid? It is all quite confusing as to what happens as I guess this is not a normal set up. Any advice greatly appreciated

I am the executor of my recently deceased uncle's esatate. He died without leaving a will and I am the only living blood relative. I applied for a grant of probate in order to be able to close bank accounts etc. DWP have now written to me asking for details of all bank accounts etc and have warned me that, as he was receiving benefits, they may have overpaid and will look to claim back any such overpayments. What powers do the DWP have if they start an investigation? Can they trace any/all bank or building society accounts by way of his name and NI no. which they obviously have?

Hi, I have discovered today that the DWP and/or Atos have sent some letters to the wrong address- two appointment letters and a copy of a PIP assessment report. All 3 (and possibly others) were sent to the wrong house number, about 30 houses down. However other letters, such as the PIP decision, did come to the right address. I only found out about this because the person who received the report asked my neighbour if they recognised the name on the assessment report! What is the most effective way to complain about this? I am currently going to tribunal about the PIP decision, but think this is a separate issue as the letters going astray has not affected the decision maker's reasoning in any way. However, it did mean that my assessment was not recorded, as I only found out about the appointment a couple of weeks before the date when I called for an update. There was no time to arrange recording then and I decided not to put off the assessment as I had already waited ten months for a date. If the assessment had been recorded, I would not be going to tribunal now, as the assessor would not have been able to get away with writing an extremely inaccurate report. Additionally, if I hadn't called Atos to find out what was taking so long, I wouldn't have known about the appointment, missed it and presumably been thrown out of the system. So this definitely needs to be dealt with properly.

Hi All. I live in Wales and have been in a wheelchair for the past 6 years. I receive DLA (higher rates), ESA (support group), and housing benefit. I recently received a letter from the DWP demanding a refund for 'overpaid' ESA even though my cirumstances haven't changed and my only income is from my benefits. I have been trying to save somethig each month, and my combined ISA and current account have gone over the £6000 capital limit imposed by the DWP. I was under the impression that benefits received, particularly DLA, did not count as income for this purpose. Can anyone say where I went wrong?

Ive had a letter notifying me of a visit in just over a week, from a lady who wants to check im getting the correct housing benefit. Has anyone had a visit like this? i've never had one before, she wants to see my documents and ID. I claim housing benefit, CT reduction working tax and child tax credit.Her number and name is on the letter, including landline and mobile. The letter said its a random check.How many bank statements are they likely to need? im online for banking. Any experiences please of this type of visit?

Received letter addressed to my partner from DWP Debt Management, Mitcheldean. The letter refers to an amount of £600. No further information is given. This is the 1st letter my partner has received at our address where we have resided for 5+ years. My partner has never received any correspondence regarding this matter previously. I telephoned no at top of letter to be told the only information they have, is that it refers to Income Support claim between 22/11/1991 – 16/4/1992, unbelievably over 22 years ago! Debt was not acknowledged in conversation. From research, and clarification sought from local CAB, we understand that this debt is ‘statute barred’ and therefore recourse through courts is not an option available to them. More, incredulously, we understand that DWP are contradicting their own regulations with regard to recovery in these circumstances, particularly: DWP should consider abandonment, write off debt… 2 Unable to effect recovery and the outstanding balance is: a) Under £25; b) Under £100, and at least 6 years have elapsed since the last effective recovery; c) Under £300, and at least 10 years have elapsed since the last effective recovery; d) Over £300, and at least 20 years have elapsed since the last effective recovery. We thought, as did CAB, that d) above, would have put this to bed making it unrecoverable, in all the circumstances so why have they written? CAB will be posting relevant information, but need additional advice/confirmation as to the result/outcome of this situation, as described above. And how should we respond to letter from DWP? Many thanks for assistance and views. Any information pointing to a definite outcome of similar event would also be more than welcome as I maybe able to refer to this in my reply to them. francis

Not posted for a while and I know the DWP has been done before but my question is on a very old debt (1998) for £493.00 can they still demand repayment even though I went bankrupt on 2006? They say unless they were specifically named on the bankruptcy petition they can still come after me. I say they can't. Who is correct? Cheers

Hi I wonder if anyone can help, been really stupid and moved in with partner in 2012, I was due to move in in 2009 but at last minute bf changed his mind, all mail was set up to come to his address, doc registered at his address etc. BF was claiming widowers pension and CTC for his 2 children, getting rent and council tax paid, I was working but neither one of us claimed for our child together my wage was £700, I had a large amount of debts car loan credit card etc so all my wage was used up on my debts. We have had letter from DWP saying they believe us to be living as a couple from 2009 because I used address for child benefit. We have contacted them to advise that I was living with my mum, but as she lives in a caravan park I used his address for my mail, they have said to get a letter from my mum to confirm this. However since all mail is for his address, I was registered at doctor etc I don't see how they will believe it as I wouldnt. They said not to worry about prison fraud etc etc but don't believe them, if they decide they don't believe us and that we were living together from 2009 and that we have to pay money back do they take into account what we should have got if we had claimed together ? sorry if I doesn't make sense, we claim ctc now as partner works full time and I am 7 months pregnant so this is really worrying me. Thanks in advance for replies

I'm currently not working, due to ill health, and am in receipt of ESA. Although I don't feel completely ready to start working again, I'm finding it really difficult trying to survive on the benefits, so am looking for part time jobs. I am subscribed to the DWP/JobCentre Plus website called `Jobungo', and have noticed several job offers detailing opportunities for working from home s e.g. data entry/typing documents/stuffing envelopes. Can anyone tell me if these sites are legal and safe, or are they all/mostly phishing traps? Or, does the fact that they are on the approved `Jobungo' jobs site, provide satisfactory validation? I have 3 main concerns. One site asks for an upfront £26.00 Registration payment. If I proceed, is it likely that I will get the promised work? Secondly, if the work doesn't then materialise, would I get my money back, and would this be straightforward? Lastly, a few years ago, I clicked onto a link to a similar `work from home' site. It turned out to be bogus, and my email account was hacked. (My email provider then blocked my account, and it was a long process proving my innocence, and getting access again). Before I contact JobCentre Plus/DWP, has anyone got any advice or experience of this? If so, are there specific companies in this field to steer clear of, and conversely, any companies with good records? I'm desperately hoping someone can help. Little Eva

I received a letter today from DWP that they have taken out a Direct Earnings Attachment on me for debts which are over 15 years old! Looking through some of the threads on here it seems that it is legal but is there anything I can do to stop it? Would a SAR be any good to see if they can provide a copy of the agreement or am I just screwed?

Hi All, - I completed an income support enquiry form about a month ago. I stupidly failed to declare an old private works pension that I drew 25% of in August 2013 as I turned 55 at the time (approx £14k) and a monthly payment of £148 since. The dwp have now been in touch requesting bank statements from August 2013 onwards until the balance on my account dropped below £6000 which would have been January of 2014 The relevant information being passed to the DWP from the tax office I do not work as I am a full time carer for my disabled wife. We are in receipt of housing benefit, carers allowance, income support and mobility payment (high level) I have not been invited in for any kind of interview as yet but I am seeking general advice regarding possible action/outcome. We have been on benefits of some description since my wife first became ill in 2008 and was forced to medically retire from work. We both decided that we would not have community carer's looking after her and I gave up full time work to become her full time carer. Thank you for any advice. Alan.

I have had a similar experience at edinburgh high riggs, but this is more complex. On the 8th dec 2014 i was asked by a security guard to take down the hood from my hooded top. I did but pointed out it was winter and a number of people were wearing hooded jackets and hats who were already in the building. The security guard insisted it was hoodies in particular. On the 16th of feb 2015 I go sign on again, this time a different security gaurd tells me I can not wear a hooded jacket; i tell him of my last experience, but this makes no difference. On entering the building i noticed an older man wearing a baseball cap so file a complaint. It is apparent that it is not the item of clothing you are wearing, but the demography of the population that the security gaurd decides yo fit into. I am a guy in his 30s, i tend to wear hoods in scotland not because I want to be affiliated with the hoody culture, but cause its cold here. I found the treatment humiliating and giving people preferential treatment like this is surely illegal

Hi all, My friend is on JSA and is wanting to train as a Phlebotomist, there is a company that trains you and it says this> Q: Can I get funding for your courses? Phlebotomy Training Services is a DWP approved training provider and so we do get a large number of students who receive full or partial funding for our training courses. We can provide you with an information pack which explains further details about the courses and how they can increase your chances of employment. http://www.phlebotomytraining.co.uk/index.php/faq Is this true? Would the DWP really fund her to do this course? If so does anybody know how she would go about it? Thanks x

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/feb/10/benefits-sanctions-malcolm-burge-suicides Maybe we cannot commission an art piece, but we can start a collection of stories here so we can show the naive people we come across how the dwp is killing the sick and vulnerable

Hi, just looking for some advice please! I was in receipt of JSA and was sanctioned for 3 month after a training provider failed to send me written details about a MWA placement. I have appealed to the DWP and received a Mandatory reconsideration notice just before the sanction ended. They are basically saying that I did receive the letter as it was addressed correctly, there was no postal dispute and I cannot prove that I didn't receive it, so the sanction still stands. How can I prove I didn't receive a letter!? I completed a form and sent it to the tribunal service and the DWP have had a solicitor go over what I've said to discredit everything. I now have received several documents that the DWP have sent to the tribunal but they contain several errors which lead me to believe the MWA letter has been reproduced. If the tribunal doesn't notice these errors would I have the right to appeal? Anyone else not received letters from DWP and been sanctioned as a result? Any help or advice on what to do next or what to expect would be appreciated. Thanks [i'm still actively looking for and applying for jobs, attending interviews and registering with agencies every week.]