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Tell the office dealing with your benefit straight away if:

• you think you鈥檙e being overpaid
• your circumstances change

You may have to pay back the benefit if you鈥檝e been overpaid.

There鈥檚 a different process for tax credits overpayment and Child Benefit overpayment, or if you鈥檝e been overpaid by or .

If you鈥檝e been overpaid Universal Credit

You can report an overpayment by signing into your Universal Credit account or calling the Universal Credit helpline.

When the benefit office will contact you

You鈥檒l get a letter to let you know that you鈥檝e been overpaid.

If you think it鈥檚 a mistake you can ask for mandatory reconsideration. You usually need to do this within one month of receiving the letter.

Housing Benefit paid directly to your landlord

Your landlord may be asked to repay the money if they鈥檙e responsible for an overpayment. You may have to repay if it was your fault.

You may have to pay the money back if you鈥檝e been overpaid. For example, if:

• the information you gave was wrong
• you did not report a change in your circumstances straight away
• you gave the wrong information when you reported a change of circumstances
• a mistake was made with your payment

Find out how to make repayments.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) can recover benefit overpayments from a person鈥檚 estate.

An overpayment could have happened because, for example, the person who died:

• had more savings than they declared in their benefit claim
• had not declared an income
• was in hospital or a nursing home and had not told DWP

If you鈥檙e dealing with the estate, DWP will write to you once probate has been granted to ask for the information they need.

What you need to do

You鈥檒l be asked to provide information to help work out if anything needs to be repaid.

You may need bank statements, building society passbooks or other information about the dead person鈥檚 assets.

If there has been an overpayment

DWP will write to you asking for the money back from the estate. They will tell you how any overpayment has been worked out and explain why it happened. They will also tell you how to pay.

If you need to discuss your payment, or setting up a repayment plan, call DWP鈥檚 Debt Management Recovery from Estates. The number is on the letter.

You can also write to them:

If you鈥檙e in England and Wales

If you鈥檙e in Scotland

If you disagree with the overpayment decision

If you disagree with the overpayment decision, you can ask for the decision to be looked at again - this is called a 鈥�mandatory reconsideration鈥�.

You can do this if you:

• think DWP made an error or missed important evidence
• disagree with the reasons for the decision
• want to have the decision looked at again

Payments made after death

If the overpayment happened because the payment arrived before DWP were told about the death, DWP Debt Management will contact:

• the deceased鈥檚 next of kin
• the bank the benefit was paid in to
• whoever is handling the estate

How you pay back the overpayment depends on:

• whether you鈥檙e making repayments for the first time or restarting them
• whether you still receive benefits

There鈥檚 a different process for tax credits overpayment and Child Benefit overpayment, or if you鈥檝e been overpaid by or .

Start making repayments if you鈥檙e still receiving benefits

If you鈥檙e still receiving benefits, the regular amount you get will be reduced until you鈥檝e paid back the money.

Contact the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Debt Management contact centre if you think too much has been taken for a repayment.

Start making repayments if you no longer receive benefits

You鈥檒l get a letter from DWP Debt Management explaining how to repay and manage benefit money you owe. You can pay back the overpayment in full or set up regular monthly payments.

Get help with your repayments

Contact DWP Debt Management if you need help managing your repayments. They can talk you through your options, including what you can afford to pay.

If you do not pay back the money

If you do not pay back the money or contact the DWP Debt Management contact centre, they may:

• ask your employer to make deductions from your pay
• pass your case to an independent debt collector
• pass your case to the DWP Debt Enforcement Team

If your case is passed to an independent debt collector

You鈥檒l get a letter to tell you about this from one of the following debt collection agencies:

• Advantis
• BPO Collections
• CCS Collect
• Moorcroft
• Past Due Credit
• Resolve Call
• Shakespeare Martineau

You should deal directly with the debt collector to arrange repayment.

If your case is passed to the DWP Debt Enforcement Team

You鈥檒l get a letter from the team asking you to set up a repayment plan.

If you do not contact the team or if you do not follow your repayment plan, the team will submit a claim against you to HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS). The team will add extra costs to the money you owe.

You鈥檒l then need to repay all the money you owe within 6 months or the team will apply for a county court judgment.

If you get a county court judgment:

• the court will add more costs to the money you owe
• your credit score will be affected for up to 6 years

The DWP Debt Enforcement Team may also take further action, like taking money directly from your wages.