THOUSANDS of Brits are owed a benefits pay-out after the department responsible underpaid claimants by £2.6 BILLION.
Recent figures from the Department for Work and Pensions show that it accidentally underpaid 1.2 percent of benefits in the year to April 2022.
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One of the claimant groups impacted are those on Universal Credit.
The DWP underpaid a massive £410million in Universal Credit in this period, The Mirror reported.
While many of those on state pensions were also dealt a bad hand by the department, being underpaid a massive £540 million.
Some Pension Credit claimants lost out on £100million as well, but there were overpayments of £350million coupled with this.
And some of those claiming Housing Benefit had to struggle on with £210million less in their accounts.
Despite numerous examples of underpayment – these were coupled with huge levels of overpayments.
The biggest culprit was Universal Credit, which saw an overpayment of a whopping £5.9BILLION into claimants’ bank accounts in the year up to April 2022.
While Housing Benefit payments were overshot by a huge £950million.
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If you believe you were underpaid, there are things you can do to rectify your situation.
If you claim Universal Credit and are owed money, you can call a helpline on 0800 328 5644 or use their online account.
While State Pension claimants should contact the Pensions Service arm of the DWP on 0800 731 0469.
Lines are open from 9.30am to 3.30pm Monday to Friday.
It is also important to note there is another scheme you can take advantage of if you claim Universal Credit which Money Saving Expert’s Martin Lewis flagged with Brits.
And that is a lesser-known scheme known as the Help to Save Scheme that gets you a 50 percent bonus on your savings.
It works by creating an account for low-paid workers who are on Universal Credit or other benefits.
It helps you save money and offering an extra boost as an incentive for setting money aside.
To find out all the vital dates you need to know for your Universal Credit and other benefit claims, click here.
