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    DSS antics

    Out of the blue, the DSS are claiming that I owe them nearly seven grand from benefit overpayments 10-12 years ago, so they're deducting £19.50 from my fortnightly JSA until it's paid back. What the fuck?

    I've phoned them up and they're going to send me my file, whoopee.

    Anyone else had this sort of thing happen to them?

    #2
    DSS antics

    Isn't there a statute of limitation on that kind of thing? I know that here in Portugal, you're safe (on tax matters, at least) after five years.

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      #3
      DSS antics

      If you owe (at least a relatively small amount of) tax, I believe that expires after seven years, in this country anyway. But claiming a few grand back from people who can afford it is obviously less important than hammering the jobless. Presumably this seven grand was owed all the time DM was in work, but they waited until he made a new dole claim before demanding it. Sweet.

      I thought people like the tax office, CSA, etc were only allowed to take a fiver a week off JSA, by law. Anything more and they'd be pushing people onto the breadline. Must have changed the rules. Then again, sometimes they like to drop sudden financial bombs on the unemployed out of the blue, just to keep you on your toes. Sometimes this turns out to be an error, or at least something you can negotiate - I wouldn't be surprised if after a few phone conversations you could get this knocked down to a tenner a fortnight, which would be manageable. If you can't, that's pretty shit of them. Definitely worth proposing that to them, anyway, if indeed you really do owe this amount of money, and they haven't fucked up somewhere along the line.

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        #4
        DSS antics

        Go to your local Citizens Advice Bureau with any letters they've sent you. They aren't governed by the six year statute as far as I recall but there are limits to how much they can deduct a week from you and a procedure for appealing against their decision or the amount.
        It's too complicated for a simple answer but you should get a few answers from the CAB website adviceguide.org.uk

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          #5
          DSS antics

          How did they overpay you £7,000 in benefit, out of interest? That would be over four years worth of unemployment benefit.

          The seven years for tax is a limit for launching an investigation. If they find you paid the wrong amount of tax on an agreed tax liability, I would think they can make you pay it from over 7 years ago.

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            #6
            DSS antics

            You definitely need CAB help...and be prepared to be hit with a Housing Benefit overpayment claim if you were in receipt of HB at that time as well..this isn't something to try and sort out yourself, get professional help. The CAB has professional paid workers for this sort of case, and it's free.

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              #7
              DSS antics

              I'll go up the CAB as soon as I get this file. At the minute all I have is a bare-bones letter stating (in very illiterate fashion) that I owe them this.

              I don't think they did overpay me, but proving it might be another matter. At least the news hasn't sent me into a depressed state, which is good.

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                #8
                DSS antics

                Good luck. Sounds unlikely that they overpaid you this much, certainly.

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