Housing Benefit overpayments

Overpayments can happen if we pay you more than you are entitled to. They usually happen if:

• You don’t tell us about a change in your circumstances
• You claimed with incorrect or incomplete information
• We have made an error
• We receive new information about you from HMRC or DWP
• When someone passes away and we have not been informed

When you have been overpaid Housing Benefit we will write to you and tell you why you have been overpaid and include an invoice for the amount to be paid back.

How to pay back an overpayment

There are several ways you can pay back an overpayment.

• Call 01992 564600 and use our 24-hour automated payment line and follow the instructions for Housing Benefit overpayments
• You can set up a standing order with your bank using the bank details on your invoice – please use your invoice number as a payment reference.
• Contact our overpayments department directly:
  • Call 01992 564293
  • Email overpayments@eppingforestdc.gov.uk

If you cannot make the payment in full, call our overpayment department on 01992 564293 or email overpayments@eppingforestdc.gov.uk to discuss a payment arrangement.

How overpayments are recovered

If you still receive Housing Benefit after the overpayment occurred, we will reduce the ongoing Housing Benefit by weekly amounts:

If we reduce your ongoing benefit by these weekly figures, you will need to make up your rent payment to ensure you don’t fall into arrears with your rent.

If you have been overpaid, and are no longer receiving Housing Benefit, you will need to contact the overpayments team to discuss recovery options

• If a payment agreement has not been made and you are in employment, we will go directly to your employer for payment. A percentage of your earnings will be deducted until your debt has been recovered in full.
• We will recover from any ongoing benefits for example, Housing Benefit or DWP benefits such as Income Support, Job Seekers Allowance, State Pensions etc.
• We also use debt agencies to recover debts, these will also incur recoverable cost.
• If we are unable to recover from any of the above options, legal action could be taken for example CCJ. All legal costs will be added to the debt and recovered from you.

If you disagree with the overpayment decision:

• If you disagree with the assessment that created the overpayment you have a month to appeal in writing or by email to benefits@eppingforestdc.gov.uk . We will look at the assessment again and reduce the overpayment if we can.
• If the overpayment is older than a month you can still dispute the overpayment – you will have to do so within 12 months of when it occurred, however changes will only be made if the original assessment was incorrect as per the information we had at the time.

Facing financial difficulty?

For advice on debt contact

• Your local Citizens Advice Bureau
• Step Change
• National Debt Line