About overpayments

An overpayment is where you've been awarded more Housing Benefit than you're entitled to.

A change in your circumstances may have reduced your benefit from a date in the past. This could be for a number of reasons:

  • an increase in income
  • someone moving in with you
  • you've moved out of the property

If an overpayment arises, we're duty bound to get the money back.

We can recover most overpayments. The only exception is when we make a mistake and you could not have been expected to know that you had been overpaid.

For example; we awarded you benefit based on your rent being £690 per week rather than monthly. We would consider that you could be expected to know the amount you received was incorrect.

It's important that you advise us of any changes, as well as any errors which have been made.