DWP & overpayment

by Biggiebest Sun Sep 18, 2022 4:29 pm

Hello all,

A few years ago I was seriously ill. My claim for unemployment due to illness continued. However, during this period, my husband lost his job and the job centre added him to my claim rather than allow him a claim of his own.
I wrote in protest but they ignored me.
When he returned to work, due to my illness I didn’t think to notify the DWP of his work, hence an overpayment occurred.
Then his private pension started paying out and at a signing on day, the assistant remarked on my hubby getting a private pension. They joked about what you could buy with £25 per week. To our minds, this was the DWP recognising he was in receipt of a pp.
However, I have now received a letter informing me that my EESA income related will be reduced to £62.50 a week because they are clawing back £4K in overpayments.
This places us in a position of poverty and despite writing to them, they are refusing to adjust.

Some of you may recollect during Covid, overpayments were temporarily stopped. I note on their letter that if an end date is given, no further repayments would be due. My letter dated 2021 states this. However, a letter in August 2022 now resumes with these ridiculous unaffordable repayments.

I am at my wits end. I have tried to cope by asking for them to suspend the claw back but they just refer me to the local job centre.

Any help would be appreciated please.
Thank you,
bb