Hi i would be really grateful for any advice that anyone has. I have made a genuine mistake with my carers allowance and am really worried about it. I began claiming carers allowance in Dec 17 and I was getting childcare voucher through my wages to pay for my daughters nursery fees which took me under the threshold. Then From April 18 my daughter qualified for some free funding as she is in receipt of DLA. I stopped my childcare vouchers from my wages and my husband carried on taking them from his wages…it made sense as I was earning a lot less then him. It didn’t even cross my mind to notify DWP at the time. I’m soon to go on maternity leave and thought I’d best call DWP to let them know of the change. I did so yesterday and the lady looked at my wages and said I am earning over the threshold and she has suspended my payments. She is sending me a form to complete and wants receipts from when I was claiming childcare.
I am now panicking as it looks like I have been unknowingly claiming carers when I wasn’t entitled to it. I am so upset about it as it was a genuine mistake. I would never mean to do something like that. Does anyone know what the consequences will be? Many thanks
Hi Laura.
Not notifying the DWP of a change in circumstances is not an inaction without consequences.
( Did you not know that there is a weekly earning limit … currently £ 120 … when also claiming Carers Allowance … has
been so for decades ? )
Time to let the DWP have the full facts … and they will decide on the outcome.
As to what the outcome will be , the DWP are the judge and jury in this case.
When my mum was in hospital, desperately ill, I forgot to tell DWP. As a result, there was an “overpayment”. The DWP have strict rules about how this is done, in mum’s case I think her benefit was reduced by a few pounds a month until it was repaid. So they should offer some sort of repayment plan, aware that you can’t repay it in one lump. Hope that helps.