DWP hassle

[thatnamestaken]

Hi all,
Bit of a weird one here,hoping someone can point me in the right direction !
Have been unemployed a year and a half until last week....about three months ago,had a letter from DWP saying they were going to stop nearly £5 a week from my benefits due to "another income".After calling them,I was advised they had discovered I was getting a pension and so,therefore,I had been overpaid £169 ! News to me ! Apparently,It is with Standard Life but I don't know anything about it ! I have emailed and written to Standard Life without getting any reply.Three calls to DWP have all given me a different monthe when this was supposed to have kicked in,November,January and Febuary ! DWP have sent no supporting paperwork or evidence of this supposed pension(I have never signed up to a pension,they are saying it's a company pension).Another letter arrived today demanding I pay by Febuary 14th.I have written on the letter and posted it back to them with the same answer ! I know nothing about it and besides....How can it be an overpayment if I haven't received any payment from this pension yet?They are arguing it has been accruing from the day it kicked in but I can't see how this can be correct.....the benefits are based on what you are (not)getting each week and if I haven't received any of this pension yet,how can I have been overpaid?! I don't even know if they have the right person....maybe that's why I have not had a reply from Standard Life....they have never heard of me????
Anyways,don't see why I should repay something I have never had.....

[MrsD]

Re: DWP hassle

could it be an old company pension that you've forgotten?
what age are you?
not being nosy just that to drae a pension, you usually have to ask if you aren't actually retiring.

[PlanB]

Re: DWP hassle

I wonder if the DWP are treating this as "notional income". In other words income that you could be getting but they believe you are deliberately not drawing down from this phantom pension If they're so sure you've got a pension out there then why don't they provide you with the evidence they're relying on to make this accusation I feel a SAR coming on.

[thatnamestaken]

Re: DWP hassle

Hi ELD,yes,there is that possibility,the DWP are saying that it is a company pension....I am 52 so it could be from any of my many previous employers ! That aside,even if they are correct and it is mine and does exist......I still can't accept I have been overpaid benefits if I have not received any money physically from this pension.....if it had been arriving to me monthly,then fine,not a problem....but nothing ! Seems they are saying that if I get it once a year and I get it sometime this year,they have a right to stop it from my benefits before I even receive it ! Why didn't they stop £20 a week whilst they were at it for wages received when I get a job in the future....

[MrsD]

Re: DWP hassle

OK so suppose you've got a couple of wee pensions from some job 20 or 25 years ago. The pension company would'nt actually contact you to pay the pension until you were 64 or 84 or whatever age we have to work to. You used to be able to take pensions like this (trivial pensions) once you were 50 but now its 55. So the question is what the feck are they on about??? A SAR might be the answer or a complaint until you get to the bottom of this pile of pooh.

[PlanB]

Re: DWP hassle

The spooky part is how do the DWP even know about peoples' private pensions be they real or imaginary? Big Brother eh

[thatnamestaken]

Re: DWP hassle

Think you could be correct here and a SAR is a future possibility ! So tired of the problems they have caused me.....they messed up my claim at the start so I was forced to take a couple of crisis loans which they have been deducting at a high rate....I was trying to survive on £54 a week...and paying £10 a week out of that because the council would not pay all of my rent...despite having the lowest rent in the county.Basically,I have been forced of benefits...lucky I managed to find myself a job !
Notional income...an income I could be getting.......if I chose the correct six lottery numbers.....hmmm,don't give them ideas....

[MrsD]

Re: DWP hassle

they don't, you have to declare them when you sign on

[BBoo]

Re: DWP hassle

The DWP are one of the most incompetent organisations around in a lot of areas. they also have the frightening power of acting of judge and jury without having to prove anything before taking money from you.

I would insist they tell you exactly what this is. They will say they can't, but they can and will if you remain firm, but polite and unmoving. Ask for written proof to be sent to you - again they will be very reluctant to do this, especially if they don't have any.

If the above tack fails, then an SAR it must be.

I won against them last year after an eight year battle on behalf of my wife. they had acted as judge and jury here as well, and then decided they'd help herself to her money until I told them they wouldn't. They sent some proof, which was none at all in reality, so we eventually ended up sending an SAR. We were made to wait about 5 months before they eventually admitted they could not find the evidence, though still insisted a member of staff could clearly remember the circumstances from 9 years ago - yeah right!

After much fuss and a lot of false allegations we are now agreeing compensation. This may well yet end up in court and they are back pedalling like mad, stating it was only ever down as a mistake on their part - this despite saying they had a proven case of fraud against my wife.

The reason I've gone into this is that they are slippery as eels, and so start doing your homework now. There's lots of internal procedures etc... that should be followed, but very rarely are. if you can get more informed than the person you're talking to about their right to do this, then you are onto a strong wicket. It is worth the spade work.

See what an SAR throws up if necessary and be prepared for a lengthy battle.

[oscar]

Re: DWP hassle

The spooky part is how do the DWP even know about peoples' private pensions be they real or imaginary? Big Brother eh

NI number maybe??

they don't, you have to declare them when you sign on

REALLY??!! - In the two claims I have made in the last two years, I have never mentioned mine!!! Think its sat at about £11K at the moment ..... not sure how to go about getting the details - not that it worries me at the moment.

[Pixie]

Re: DWP hassle

I think Dopes meant any pensions that are actually being paid to you not pension funds for the future.

[thatnamestaken]

Re: DWP hassle

Thanks for all of the advice,looks like a long battle ahead ! I don't think there is much they can really do until I have to claim again at some point in the future and they are in a position to start helping themselves again but will see what proof I can get out of them in the meantime !

[5corpio]

Re: DWP hassle

What is Gov'gateway.....is that not a DWP to check your info
Government Gateway - Home
As i registered 2 years ago, so i can check my state pension forecast

[5corpio]

Re: DWP hassle

ref last above message:

Unfortunatley, all the services that i can access, seems to be London, DEFRA (Don't ever fuckin ring again), vat etc, BUT no State Pension Forecast even though letter says i can..........

[MrsD]

Re: DWP hassle

they don't, you have to declare them when you sign on

Before they will pay JSA (even bloody contributions based JSA), you must provide official documentation for any "trivial" pensions being paid, I had to provide the original document for a pension which is worth #3.13 per month, what a bloody faff.

Pixie's right Oscar, they don't appear to be interested in anything that isn't being paid to you at the moment, but shit, give em time........