Received letter today saying I was overpayed in 2016

NinetyTwoTeam

got a letter from the DSP saying I was overpayed 266.00 in February 2016.

In February 2016 I was employed for less than 2 weeks at a hotel. I signed off before commencing employment, and when the job ended, I had to bring in a copy of an email an my P45 to sign back on.

The reason the job ended was the employer informed me at 11 pm, during a shift that was due to end at 4 am that I was due back at 8 am the next morning to move 200+ bags of luggage. I pointed out that this was illegal, and that I was hired as a bartender and no morning work was discussed or agreed to, the employer accepted this and I worked one more night, but then got an email saying I was unsuccessful in my trial period ( no trial period was discussed). The job wasn't even full time.

I cannot afford any deductions from my dole. I am not getting any rent or fuel allowance and am paying back an overdraft that BOI cancelled without notice demanding payment in full and then sent to collections.

There is no information as to how I was overpayed 2 years ago or why I was ineligible. As jobseekers is paid in arrears o 1 week I don't see how i could owe more than one week when I only worked for like 6-7 days over 2 weeks. Surely at most I could only be owing the first weekly payment after going back on the dole, which was 188 back then. Seems strange that it was exactly 266 euro also.

There is no phone number or email address listed on the letter, despite the whole point of the letter being that they want me to contact them to arrange repayment. It doesn't say what date I collected a payment I was ineligible for, just that the period is from 10 feb to 21 feb.

Since being fired I have been unable to get work as the town that I live in has so little jobs. I've been on Jobpath for 10 months, and not been referred for a single job. This is just a bit of a kick in the teeth and I can't afford it, barely making ends meet now.

Has anyone else dealt with something like this and can offer any advice? Considering it was so long ago surely they must be required to at least explain/prove to me how I owe this. The letter says it is an 'annual statement' but I never got one in 2017. Is it possible they made a mistake here?

Gatling

Contact them and make a repayment agreement get it over and done with ,
These things dont just go away

NinetyTwoTeam

Gatling wrote: »

Contact them and make a repayment agreement get it over and done with ,
These things dont just go away

was hoping someone could answer some of the questions i asked, someone with experience of this. if you got a bill for 266 euro with no explanation as to how it was incurred you would just pay it without questioning it? when you couldn't afford it?

as i said, there isn't any contact info on the letter. do i contact my local office or is there a specific person/department?

it's not like i was aware of this and left it for 2 years. its come up out of the blue 2 years later and seems fishy. i don't see how i could owe more than one week, I didn't collect any payment during the 2 weeks i was working, and jobseekers is paid a week in arrears.

I don't know when I got my first payment after sigining back on, as this info is not on the letter either. but at most it could only be a one week overpayment I would think. and if it was pro rated for days of more than one week i can't see how it would be 266 on the nose, coming up 2 years later. just seems awful fishy.

I think it's possible this was a mistake and am wondering if anyone else had something similar happen, who they contacted to deal with it.

mcgucc22

NinetyTwoTeam wrote:

I think it's possible this was a mistake and am wondering if anyone else had something similar happen, who they contacted to deal with it.

surely there is a telephone number or a name on the letter to contact? or just call your local social welfare office and they'll put you through to the right department....

THENORTHSIDER

not sure if this is any help, but I asked last year for my 2014 P21 to be issued to allow me claim expenses. I got a reply saying both myself and my wife had under paid tax that year therefore they were adjusting my allowances until the monies involved were paid in full.

I initially let it go as my wife had been on parental leave however after discussing with her, she said that she had spoken to the tax office before and after the leave and she was assured there was no outstanding money owed. Using revenue on line I queried the underpayment and shortly after received two cheques in the post one me and one for my good wife returning the money we had overpaid!!!!!!

I suggest you follow it up if you believe you have been compliant.

fritzelly

Were you claiming full dole the 2 weeks?
I'm confused why you say you can only owe 1 weeks money, nothing wrong with working part time and getting paid welfare to cover the full week but doesn't add up

Only people that can help are the welfare

splinter65

OP it looks to me as if they are alleging that you collected your dole in the PO during the 10 days you were working.
If you did then you signed your slip in the PO on those dates to collect your money and SW should be able to show you copies of those slips if you ask to see them.

NinetyTwoTeam

thanks for the replies but as i stated i signed off before commencing employment, did NOT collect any dole during the 2 weeks employed. i had to bring in copies of the email firing me to go back on. i am unsure what date i collected the first payment but it was at earliest the week after I finished work, which is why i believe this to be a mistake. jobseekers is paid a week in arrears so I thought maybe that was where the overpayment was from but i don't see how it's possible, and at most it could only be one week or part of a week. I usually keep my PO receipts for a while but not going back two years.

i finally found an email for their debt department but they honestly did not put any contact info on the letter which is crazy. seem to be making it hard to query, and the length of time lapsed as well it's a joke. i have asked for the copies of payments signed for that i was ineligible for, what dates, etc.

fritzelly

The day you start working your benefit stops and I guess you were being paid a week in arrears at the job - maybe that is why they think they overpaid you, still the figures don't match

splinter65

NinetyTwoTeam wrote: »

thanks for the replies but as i stated i signed off before commencing employment, did NOT collect any dole during the 2 weeks employed. i had to bring in copies of the email firing me to go back on. i am unsure what date i collected the first payment but it was at earliest the week after I finished work, which is why i believe this to be a mistake. jobseekers is paid a week in arrears so I thought maybe that was where the overpayment was from but i don't see how it's possible, and at most it could only be one week or part of a week. I usually keep my PO receipts for a while but not going back two years.

i finally found an email for their debt department but they honestly did not put any contact info on the letter which is crazy. seem to be making it hard to query, and the length of time lapsed as well it's a joke. i have asked for the copies of payments signed for that i was ineligible for, what dates, etc.

Would you not just drop into your local office with the letter they sent you? Let us know what happens.

NinetyTwoTeam

The woman who received my email rang me today. According to her this overpayment was recorded on the system in February 2016. I was never made aware of it and no effort was made to contact me to recover it, the first I heard of it was when I got this 'annual statement'. I asked why that is and why I never received an annual statement in 2017, she said they just started this year.

I asked what dates I received a payment I was ineligible for etc and was told that she couldn't see any of that info on her system, only the local office can, though the email is literally centraldebt@welfare.ie it is not centralized. Par for the course in this country I suppose.

So the alleged overpayment was never really confirmed, but for some reason was still logged onto the system, but then no effort made to actually recover it for 2 years. I'm now waiting for the Donegal office to look at it as the centraldebt lady is going to let them know I'm disputing it.

The office in my town is only open from 10-12 and is a pain to get to as I have no transport, as I am on Jobpath I do not have to sign on up there during the last ten months Ive been the scheme.

sellasheep

Look, they rarely make mistakes and you're not going to evade paying it. It's very little for goodness sake. Pay them back a tenner a week and move on.

Purpletoes

sellasheep wrote: »

Look, they rarely make mistakes and you're not going to evade paying it. It's very little for goodness sake. Pay them back a tenner a week and move on.

It's not very little when the only source of income is a social welfare payment that doesn't cover expenses.

I agree however that an arrangement should just be set up. These things are calculated then checked by a deciding officer before they are told to the client so it's most likely going to have to be paid back either way

Old Perry

NinetyTwoTeam wrote: »

The woman who received my email rang me today. According to her this overpayment was recorded on the system in February 2016. I was never made aware of it and no effort was made to contact me to recover it, the first I heard of it was when I got this 'annual statement'. I asked why that is and why I never received an annual statement in 2017, she said they just started this year.

I asked what dates I received a payment I was ineligible for etc and was told that she couldn't see any of that info on her system, only the local office can, though the email is literally centraldebt@welfare.ie it is not centralized. Par for the course in this country I suppose.

So the alleged overpayment was never really confirmed, but for some reason was still logged onto the system, but then no effort made to actually recover it for 2 years. I'm now waiting for the Donegal office to look at it as the centraldebt lady is going to let them know I'm disputing it.

The office in my town is only open from 10-12 and is a pain to get to as I have no transport, as I am on Jobpath I do not have to sign on up there during the last ten months Ive been the scheme.

So she can tell the payment was made in February but not what date? That is fishy. Sounds like someone collected the payment for you, follow up and have them retrieve the slips you signed and that should shut them up.


It might be very little to some who dont know the value of money . Anyone who does know the value of money won't let it walk whether its a tenner or 300 .

joeysoap

sellasheep wrote: »

Look, they rarely make mistakes and you're not going to evade paying it. It's very little for goodness sake. Pay them back a tenner a week and move on.

I am Paye. Income tax sent me a bill for over €7000 a few years ago. I phoned them up and the officer said I had two jobs. I asked where this second job was, and she named my wife’s employer. I asked her how much I earned there and she (made up figures) said €25259 and I said how much tax did I pay and she said € 3297 and then I asked how much my wife earned there (as per the p21) and she said €25259 and tax paid €3297. And I asked her wasn’t that some coincidence and just said ‘there must be some mix up’ no apology, just hung up. So yeah, people do make mistakes, all the time.

Offer €1 a week, I don’t think they can refuse.

bodhrandude

NinetyTwoTeam wrote: »

was hoping someone could answer some of the questions i asked, someone with experience of this. if you got a bill for 266 euro with no explanation as to how it was incurred you would just pay it without questioning it? when you couldn't afford it?

as i said, there isn't any contact info on the letter. do i contact my local office or is there a specific person/department?

it's not like i was aware of this and left it for 2 years. its come up out of the blue 2 years later and seems fishy. i don't see how i could owe more than one week, I didn't collect any payment during the 2 weeks i was working, and jobseekers is paid a week in arrears.

I don't know when I got my first payment after sigining back on, as this info is not on the letter either. but at most it could only be a one week overpayment I would think. and if it was pro rated for days of more than one week i can't see how it would be 266 on the nose, coming up 2 years later. just seems awful fishy.

I think it's possible this was a mistake and am wondering if anyone else had something similar happen, who they contacted to deal with it.

I think the department you need to get in contact with is the Carrick-On-Shannon Welfare office in County Leitrim, they are specifically the SWA Finance and Debt Collecting office as far as I know. I had a similar situation after coming back off a CE Scheme where I owed a few hundred to the welfare, when I enquired from the CWO (waiting for my current claim to get back on track) she said I had no choice and it would be deducted anyway. I emailed the Leitrim office but never got a reply, so good luck if you can get in touch with someone there.

https://m.welfare.ie/en/Pages/Debt.aspx

Gatling

joeysoap wrote: »

Offer €1 a week, I don’t think they can refuse.

They can legally take 15% of the op payment till the over payment is repaid,
They can well refuse the €1 pw offer

joeysoap

I can see how they can probably take 15% but out of €188 I would appeal it. €160 is below the poverty line?

How much of the €400,000 do they hope to recover from that Kildare case last week? And that wasn’t claimed in error.

splinter65

joeysoap wrote: »

I can see how they can probably take 15% but out of €188 I would appeal it. €160 is below the poverty line?

How much of the €400,000 do they hope to recover from that Kildare case last week? And that wasn’t claimed in error.

Which case was that?

bodhrandude

splinter65 wrote: »

Which case was that?

http://www.thejournal.ie/court-social-welfare-fraud-3920312-Mar2018/

TheBeach

I would just make an appointment and go on and discuss it with someone in your local office. It might be a mistake.