Debt Management and PIP back pay..

Jay1969

@poppy123456

Hi Poppy,

Hope you can help me because I’m not really up to date with the way DWP work.
My dad received a call from DWP today after 12 weeks and 5 days from the time they received the report.
They’ve told him that he’ll be on enhanced from the time we applied. But when we asked DWP about the back payments he said because my dad in in Debt Management with them he will have to get a response from them. I know my dad has no private debt at all so this can only mean the Budgeting loan he got from DWP for £800 last year when they wrongly stopped his ESA. His paying £12.60 back from his ESA.
Theres nothing else. So my question is will they deduct what he owes? and “How long from the phone call do we expect the back pay?

Thanking you in advance...

poppy123456

Hi,

I can't see that a recent budgeting loan will be with debt management as he's currently repaying that back. It could be a debt from quite sometime ago. It could also be a debt passed from HMRC as i know DWP also take on debt from them. The only way to find out is for your dad to ring debt management to ask. See link for number. https://www.gov.uk/benefit-overpayments/how-to-make-a-repayment

Backdated money takes 3-5 working days to go into the back from the day DWP pay it.

Jay1969

@poppy123456

Thank you for your kind reply. I have just done what you asked and rang DWP and put it on speaker for my dad to speak.
They have £0 balance and my dad does not owe anything but I don’t know why the DM who rang my dad this morning and said he was with Debt Management. Don’t they realize they’re  just putting more panic and stress on people by saying things that are not true?
Well it’s all sorted now and hopefully my dad can now relax.
Once again thanks very much..??

mikehughescq

The key question here is whether he remains on ESA or has moved to UC. Certainly on the latter there are real problems with real and imagined deductions. 

Frankly, debt management are a black hole of a shambles and I’d be very reluctant to accept anything they asserted without corroborating evidence. However, there’s another angle to this which is that, whilst it’s become common practice to try and use lump sum arrears to repay outstanding allegedly recoverable overpayments, it’s arguable that the two things should remain separate. 

Should they try it on I’d go straight to a letter before action.