I've gone over £16K savings, didn't know I needed to be under, is this considered fraud?

Frank69
Frank69 Community Member Posts: 23 Connected
edited May 2025 in Universal Credit (UC)

I’ve been receiving universal credit for some time and just realised I’ve gon over the £16k savings

My review came up in February and I was suprised that I needed to be under 16k

When I first made my claim I wasn’t

Now I worried that this is considered fraud

So stressed

Any help or advice please

Comments

  • Frank69
    Frank69 Community Member Posts: 23 Connected

    sorry I was under 16k when I first made claim

  • Kimi87
    Kimi87 Community Member Posts: 8,908 Championing
    edited April 2025

    £16k has always been the hard limit (unless migrating from Tax Credits with over £16k, where there is a exemption for one year).

    Under £6k, no deduction.

    £6-15999k: Deduction of 4.35 for every £250 or part thereof.

    £16000+ no entitlement to UC.

    Did you receive any Cost of Living Payments? These are disregarded indefinitely as long as your capital didn't drop below the amount received. So your applicable capital might be under £16k.

  • Frank69
    Frank69 Community Member Posts: 23 Connected

    hi there

    Yes I did receive some payments

  • Kimi87
    Kimi87 Community Member Posts: 8,908 Championing

    When I had my review I added a Journal note stating that while on paper my bank accounts were over £6k, with the CoL disregard I was under.

    During the telephone interview the agent confirmed my understanding of the disregard, and asked me to upload individual statement pages showing my payments.

    After I did this I had a Journal message stating she'd done the calculation and I was under £6k.

  • Frank69
    Frank69 Community Member Posts: 23 Connected

    I’ve sent statements which will show me over £16k for last 3 years

    I’d not let them know this and was continuing to get benefit

    I’m really worried now as to what will happen

  • Frank69
    Frank69 Community Member Posts: 23 Connected
  • Frank69
    Frank69 Community Member Posts: 23 Connected

    I’m very worried that I will be accused of fraud

  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 1,169 Championing
    The user and all related content has been deleted.
  • Frank69
    Frank69 Community Member Posts: 23 Connected

    yes atm only 4 months statements

    But one of these shows that I m over the £16k by quite a bit now

    Looking back after realising this is wrong it first happened in 2022 when I wasn’t really checking

  • Frank69
    Frank69 Community Member Posts: 23 Connected

    I’ve now discovered in my journal I never declared any savings

    Don’t know why

    At the start I was just below £16k

    But gradually my savings grew above this

    I ignored this and received payments when I wasn’t working

    As I said my savings show £0.00 savings declared

    Now im really worried about a conviction

    Who can adviceplease

  • Timbo_Guitar
    Timbo_Guitar Community Member Posts: 50 Empowering

    Hi Frank, this happened to me too. Simply be honest and say you didn't mean to be dishonest. It is to my knowledge a civil and not a criminal matter which means it's less serious. They will very probably take the money off of you that they say was overpaid however they should do this in installments. I'm not a particular fan of this government or the DWP but they should act within the law over this. I would suggest you contact the CAB over this and get some advice. Don't worry unduly, you are not the first and you won't be the last.

  • Frank69
    Frank69 Community Member Posts: 23 Connected

    it’s just the fact that I opened my claim without ticking the box to declare savings so it says £0.00 in savings

    Also I’ve gone well above the £16k mark now anyway

    They will no this now as I’ve sent statements showing I’ve have over £20k is savings

    This will be looked at as a serious fraud

  • Timbo_Guitar
    Timbo_Guitar Community Member Posts: 50 Empowering

    Be honest with them. They'll find out anyway. Say you made a mistake right at the start. I had over 10k and got called in. I got some heat but all they did was take what was overpaid whilst I had more in savings than I should. I would suggest you pray about this but you may not be a Christian. As I said, you made a mistake. Apologise to them and then ask them to show mercy. Speak to CAB too. They should be able to help you.

  • chiarieds
    chiarieds Community Member Posts: 17,413 Championing

    Hi @Frank69 - as @Timbo_Guitar has said you'll not be the first to make an honest mistake as you simply didn't know at the time. There will be no conviction, but you will have to repay any overpayments as mentioned.

    Better to get this sorted now rather than later, but don't worry, it can be done.

  • Gaul
    Gaul Community Member Posts: 1 Listener

    Hello @Frank69 any update on your issue

  • SheffieldMan1976
    SheffieldMan1976 Posts: 3,080 Connected

    With respect Frank the DWP are very strict on this sort of thing and they'll probably throw the book at you.

  • MiamoreEM
    MiamoreEM Community Member Posts: 4 Listener
    https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1023831#Comment_1023831

    Hi love,

    Just had my violating claim review and in it - I made a £100 payment to my husband. This account is not used by us and so hadn’t forgotten about it - but my husband has been working self employed basis and I’ve been on shut down with telling them all about it. So I didn’t declare that account - it’s not mine, but I need to - which brings on other questions and speculation.
    Now I’ve inadvertently lied to get out of a hole - whilst making the hole bigger and am drowning with what to do.
    I have images of prison, my kids being humiliated and ruining everyone’s lives!

  • SheffieldMan1976
    SheffieldMan1976 Posts: 3,080 Connected
    https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1125298#Comment_1125298

    I wouldn't fret too much, I'm sure there's folk out there that's done a LOT worse.

  • ChrisR777
    ChrisR777 Community Member Posts: 1,408 Trailblazing
    https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1125322#Comment_1125322

    You 'wouldn't fret too much'? I had a work colleague whose wife went to jail for benefit fraud. They were still married, but lied they had separated.

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