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I am a nervous wreck over this so please bare with :-(
I have been hit with a £2000 housing benefit overpayment but it gets worse. I started full time work last year, I sent the council my work contract which states my full wage and a wage slip but because I started mid month my wage slip showed only half my monthly wage- I wrote to the council when enclosing my wage slip stating this (i still have the proof) along with my contract with stated my annual wage.
I was promoted in January so I sent over my new contract and another wage slip. They've written back saying that they based my award on the original wage slip which was only half my wage.
I have argued that they had the information so it wasn't my fault but they said I should have checked.
Fine, I accept I should have checked and have agreed to pay £80 a month to clear it.
I am double checking my claim to make sure everything is correct and my childcare costs are wrong.... I am seriously panicking now.
My average childcare costs spread throughout the year taking into account school holidays are £30 a week but for some reason they have it as £59 per week. Tax credits have the correct figure, thankfully.
I have looked through my paperwork that was sent to housing benefit and I did indeed write £59 per week on the childcare form to housing benefit.
Not one for excuses but I have really bad anxiety which I am on meds for, I also have lung disease, my daughter has a chronic condition which I currently trying to claim DLA for and my son is in the process of being diagnosed with autism.
I work full time on little money and I am really struggling.
What should I do? Should I update my childcare costs from now? Tell them its been wrong for a year and hope they don't prosecute as I already owe £2000 so they may go ahead and prosecute me?
I am trying my best but I have done everything wrong and I just don't know what to do :-(
Thank you and please don't judge me I am trying to do the right thing. If I were to get in trouble for fraud I would lose my job as I work with vulnerable people :-(
I have been hit with a £2000 housing benefit overpayment but it gets worse. I started full time work last year, I sent the council my work contract which states my full wage and a wage slip but because I started mid month my wage slip showed only half my monthly wage- I wrote to the council when enclosing my wage slip stating this (i still have the proof) along with my contract with stated my annual wage.
I was promoted in January so I sent over my new contract and another wage slip. They've written back saying that they based my award on the original wage slip which was only half my wage.
I have argued that they had the information so it wasn't my fault but they said I should have checked.
Fine, I accept I should have checked and have agreed to pay £80 a month to clear it.
I am double checking my claim to make sure everything is correct and my childcare costs are wrong.... I am seriously panicking now.
My average childcare costs spread throughout the year taking into account school holidays are £30 a week but for some reason they have it as £59 per week. Tax credits have the correct figure, thankfully.
I have looked through my paperwork that was sent to housing benefit and I did indeed write £59 per week on the childcare form to housing benefit.
Not one for excuses but I have really bad anxiety which I am on meds for, I also have lung disease, my daughter has a chronic condition which I currently trying to claim DLA for and my son is in the process of being diagnosed with autism.
I work full time on little money and I am really struggling.
What should I do? Should I update my childcare costs from now? Tell them its been wrong for a year and hope they don't prosecute as I already owe £2000 so they may go ahead and prosecute me?
I am trying my best but I have done everything wrong and I just don't know what to do :-(
Thank you and please don't judge me I am trying to do the right thing. If I were to get in trouble for fraud I would lose my job as I work with vulnerable people :-(
