We can ask you to pay it back:
- If it was your fault we overpaid you, for example, because you didn't tell us about a change
- If it was not really anyone’s fault, for example, because you got a pay rise in June, backdated to April that you could not have told us about earlier
- If it was our fault; you realise we are overpaying but you don't tell us. For example, if you get a pay rise but your benefit and Council Tax Support does not change, you should realise something is wrong and let us know.
We can recover the overpayment from:
- You, and in some cases, your partner
- An appointee acting on your behalf
- The person who the benefit was paid to (including your landlord or their agent)
In some cases we may decide that it's unreasonable to ask you to pay back an overpayment.
We can't ask you to pay it back:
- If it's our fault and you couldn't have realised you were getting too much Housing Benefit or Council Tax Support
- If we have been paying your landlord we may get the money back from them, but if we decide the overpayment was your fault and your landlord couldn't have known you were being overpaid, we expect you to repay the money.
In all cases we will write and tell you our decision. You have a right of appeal if you do not agree.