A FURIOUS mum has had her benefits slashed by £80 a month over what she describes as the government’s own “clerical error”.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) claims Victoria Phillips failed to notify them of a change in her earnings – but the 35-year-old is adamant she did.
3
3
The delay in 2017 resulted in her being overpaid and therefore owing £671.27 – but a chunk of the debt was later cleared.
However, five years on and the mum-of-two thinks she’s paying the price for the DWP’s “mistake” again after being told she now owes a whopping £1,529.76.
Since her daughter moved back in with her and she registered for Universal Credit, her monthly benefits have been cut by £80.
And she reckons it’s because the UK’s biggest public service department is trying to claw back what it thinks she owes – though it says she’s in the wrong.
Victoria, from Hove, East Sussex, said: “They just seem to think they can claim it back.
“Because it’s historical, they just see fit to take whatever they want out of my benefits because they can.
“I can’t do anything to freeze that or stop that, just watch it happen.
“I’ve not done anything wrong, it’s just that’s the way it is.
Most read in The Sun
“Surely I shouldn’t have to pay for their clerical error? But that doesn’t seem to matter.”
Council tenant Victoria first faced problems when she started working 12 hours a week in a supermarket in 2017.
Despite being told she was well under the 16-hour-a-week threshold, she was later informed she was no longer entitled to weekly hand-outs as she was earning too much.
Victoria says she immediately alerted the DWP to say she was above the permitted £120 in July, but she was forced to wait three months before her change in circumstances was acknowledged.
She insists she “kept phoning them and phoning them” but they failed to respond.
Then five weeks later, a letter arrived saying she owed £671.27 in employment support allowance (ESA) payments as she had been overpaid.
After appealing, this was reduced to £466.97, and the current outstanding amount of overpaid ESA stands at £426.37.
But Victoria said she paid none of this for years so she thought it had been dealt with, and it only came to light in 2022.
‘IT’S SUCH A MESS’
What she didn’t realise was that her partner had also been claiming tax credits for their children, therefore she apparently now owes £1,529.76 for not confirming her circumstances.
She was notified of the forthcoming deduction through her UC account in advance of any money being taken.
And she now faces a lengthy appeal process to try to get her money back – and stop any more from being taken.
“It’s such a mess and so confusing,” she said.
“I gave them every piece of information possible, but they didn’t look at it in time. It should have all been sorted.
“Will I get the money back that I’ve paid to them? I don’t know, but surely I should.
“I just don’t understand why they haven’t frozen any debts while it’s being investigated.
“I don’t see why they can just take what they want in the meantime, and then I have to try to recover that back if I do win my case.”
A government spokesperson said: “Claimants are required to report any change to their circumstances straight away.
“This ensures that they receive what they are entitled to and do not have to pay back money they are overpaid.
“Anyone who disagrees with a decision can appeal.
“If a claimant is facing financial hardship because of the amount being deducted from their Universal Credit award, they can ask us to consider reducing their deductions.”
3
