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Need Advice - Social "Debt Repayment"

  • 17-02-2015 7:49pm
    #1
    FeenuX
    Registered Users Posts: 4 ✭


    Hi all,

    Long time on/off reader, first time poster. I'm hoping this is in the right area as I did a bit of searching for related issues. I'm looking for advice on the situation I've found myself in.

    I returned from Australia in Sept 2013 with my partner as we found out we were expecting our first child and wanted our family support structure (I'm an Australian / Irish citizen, Partner is Irish). When we came back we signed on to Social Welfare as a couple and received payments as expected.

    On the 17th of December, I was employed as an IT technician near Bray, Dublin (Living in Newbridge). As a result I had to take a credit union lone to purchase a car, insurance, tax etc to make it up and back to work. The contract paid monthly and the payday is the last Friday of every month. We welcomed our daughter on the 24th of December happy and healthy. I took some time off work (agreed before starting) to spend with my partner and newborn.

    I was paid for 7 days work in total and had to make it up and back to work for 5 full weeks on 7 days of pay, including paying rent, food, nappies and formula for the little one. I claimed up until around payday (I'm not exactly sure the day I signed off) petrol alone a week was costing me 120 eu. I explained all of this to the social welfare officer and was basically told tough sh*t I have to pay it back now.

    I've managed to get myself into 7 grand of debt from begging, borrowing and stealing from anyone that would help me and my new family out of the hole we managed to dig by coming back to Ireland! I told Social Welfare the truth and now I'm being stung for it. What I can't fathom is that I genuinely did this for the greater cause - because I borrowed for that extra month I was able to sign off and, in the long run help the economy by paying my taxes, USC etc.

    I received a letter today stating I owe 875 eu and to pay it back by 50 a week. With all my current overheads and repayments this just is not feasible for me. Do I have any recourse, is this up to the discretion of the social welfare? If I didn't continue claiming to pay for food for my child & petrol, chances are very high I would have been on social welfare for many more months!

    Can anyone provide any advice on how I should proceed? With projections I won't be debt free until 2017.

    Sorry for the long winded thread I tried to give as much details as possible!
    Tagged:


Comments

  • #2
    DanDublin1982
    Registered Users Posts: 641 ✭✭✭DanDublin1982


    In short you'll have to pay back the money but the 50 a week isn't set in stone. Write to them, detail your situation and make an alternative suggestion in terms of repayment, say 20 a week.

    I understand why you did what you did and am not judging btw.


  • #3
    FeenuX
    Registered Users Posts: 4 ✭FeenuX


    DanDublin1982 wrote: »
    In short you'll have to pay back the money but the 50 a week isn't set in stone. Write to them, detail your situation and make an alternative suggestion in terms of repayment, say 20 a week.

    I understand why you did what you did and am not judging btw.

    Thanks for your response Dan. I find it disheartening that in an effort to better myself and family's life, being honest & using the system as it's intended - to find work and sign off it once stable, that I feel penalized for trying!

    I would have thought there would be extenuating circumstances as there was in Australia, but I guess not :(


  • #4
    DanDublin1982
    Registered Users Posts: 641 ✭✭✭DanDublin1982


    FeenuX wrote: »
    Thanks for your response Dan. I find it disheartening that in an effort to better myself and family's life, being honest & using the system as it's intended - to find work and sign off it once stable, that I feel penalized for trying!

    I would have thought there would be extenuating circumstances as there was in Australia, but I guess not :(

    I think its unfortunate but essentially you went about it in the wrong manner. This could have been for a number of reasons such as bad advice or whatever but the payment you received cannot be paid to someone who is actually in employment.

    Sometimes a community welfare officer can help out where someone is awaiting wages (not after the fact unfortunately) but that is a discretionary decision.

    You'd a lot going on at the time but the office might have been able to advise you of that option.

    Sorry to be blunt here but you didn't use the system as intended in receiving a job seekers payment while in employment.


  • #5
    myshirt
    Registered Users Posts: 5,245 ✭✭✭myshirt


    I've heard of social welfare paying you while you waited for your first pay cheque, and then you paying it back...

    Definitely not on the books I'm sure, but is a practice. Has happened. I don't entirely agree with it. But anyway, that's another thread.

    OP, I'll just add to the advice above. You have to pay it back, and as an added bonus it is likely the cheapest money you'll have ever got in your life. There is no interest. This will lessen your debt burden, not add to it.


  • #6
    January
    Closed Accounts Posts: 23,865 ✭✭✭✭January


    Unfortunately OP, the minute you started working you needed to sign off. I'm not saying I agree with it but that's the way things are so you do have to pay that money back.

    But not at 50 euro per week as they are suggesting. Pick a figure you can afford weekly and put it to them. Give them details of your budget and tell them this is all you can afford. They'll accept it because they will be being paid back.


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  • #7
    mp22
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Regional South Moderators Posts: 6,854 Mod ✭✭✭✭mp22


    Please make sure you conduct all further communications with the dept in writing and get proof of postage for each and every letter you send.



    Closed


This discussion has been closed.
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