One million Brits could have benefit payments stopped including Universal Credit unless they act now

A MILLION people could have their benefits payments stopped if they don’t respond to a government check.

Citizens Advice is warning that claimants must check their online journals weekly and answer JobCentre calls, or they could lose their benefits money.

Benefits claimants must respond to DWP communications quickly, or face payments atoppingCredit: PA

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is carrying out an evaluation to look into whether Brits were eligible for benefits paid throughout the pandemic.

But Citizens Advice is warning that even people who do qualify could see payments stopped if they don’t respond in time.

At the start of the pandemic, the DWP relaxed the rules around applying for Universal Credit, Job Seekers Allowance and Employee and Support Allowance, so people could apply without visiting a Jobcentre.

This meant that anyone struggling could get access to benefits quickly and without going through all the usual checks.

As a result, some of the requirements relating to proof of identity, housing costs and household circumstances were eased.

But now, DWP has announced that it is checking a million Universal Credit cases – one sixth of the total – to make sure that claims weren’t fraudulent.

The government is estimating that £8.4 billion of benefits were overpaid in the twelve months to the end of March 2021.

£6.3 billion of the overpayments are believed to be fraudulent, primarily arising from Universal Credit claims.

The DWP is looking at all claims made in the early stages of the pandemic and asking people for this evidence to support their application.

People who claimed New Style JSA and New Style ESA last spring may also be contacted.

The checks will make sure that people are being paid correctly, but they could impact genuine claimants as well.

Your rights if your benefits are overpaid

BENEFIT fraud is committed if you provide false information of don’t report a change in your circumstances.

You may be visited by a department for work and pensions official or asked to attend an interview if fraud is suspected plus any benefits may be suspended during the investigation.

If you are found to have committed benefit fraud, you will need to pay back the overpaid money and could be fined between £350 and £5,000.

Your benefits may also be reduced or stopped.

Overpayments aren’t always fraudulent and could be down to a mistake either by you or the DWP.

In this case you would just need to give the money back or it may be taken from future payments.

The DWP can still charge a £50 civil penalty if it thinks you have been negligent or aren’t cooperating.

You can appeal a decision within one month by asking for a mandatory reconsideration.

If your appeal is rejected you can take the DWP to an independent tribunal within one month.

The DWP will then have 28 days to respond and explain its reasoning for the tribunal to consider.

You’ll be contacted via your online journal or a call from your Jobcentre, which may show up as a withheld number.

If you don’t respond to the Jobcentre communications to prove you qualify for your benefits, your payments may be stopped or changed.

That includes if officials are unable to contact you.

This means that you could find yourself without much-needed cash that you are legally entitled to – so it’s really important to speak to officials quickly when you are contacted.

Citizens Advice is advising that claimants make sure contact details are up to date and try to check their online journal at least once a week for new notifications.

If you’re struggling to manage your online claim for any reason – including lack of access to a computer – you should be able to change to a non-digital claim. Citizens Advice can support you with this.

Citizens Advice benefits expert Lawrence Barratt says: “To ensure you don’t lose out on money you’re entitled to, make sure the contact information in your online journal is up to date. It’s also important to respond to any calls or emails from the DWP as soon as possible.

“If you don’t, there’s a risk your benefit payments could be stopped or changed.

“Citizens Advice can support you with free, independent advice if you’re struggling to provide the evidence you need or have any other questions about Universal Credit.”

A DWP spokesman said: “Following an unprecedented year in which the number of Universal Credit claimants doubled as a result of the pandemic, fraud and error in the benefits system remains low with 95% of benefits worth more than £200 billion paid correctly.

“We take any abuse of taxpayers’ money very seriously and those who claim benefits they are not entitled to will face criminal prosecution.

“We also have robust plans in place to recover fraudulent claims and drive fraud and error down to the lowest feasible level.”