to ask you for a sanity check?

[Bekindtoyourknees]

County Council claims that my DM owes them £160.44 for care.

They have sent me a printed copy of what I think is a spread sheet which states that:

Client Contribution Due £1064.56

Client Contributions Made £1225.00

Contribution overpaid by -£160.44

Surely this should +£160.44? Have they used a plus instead of a minus in their formula? This was for care funding that ended 12 months ago

I'd query it - from the 'contribution due' and 'contribution made' amounts, it sounds like an overpayment. County Councils are not good at this sort of thing!

Who is the client?

Because that would suggest that the client has overpaid. Are they the client?

I have paid someone £1225.

The bill was 1064.56

therefore I have paid 160.44 more than the actual bill.

Who did the client pay the money to?

My DM was the Client, the money paid was to County Council

then surely they owe you?

Then she overpaid and a refund is due.

She paid 1225 for care worth 1064.56

They owe 160.44

Have they sent you a bill?

Call them.

They haven't sent a bill, just a confusing letter saying that the underpayment of £160.44 needs to be repaid.

Makes me angry that the majority of people dealing with their relatives funding are likely to be elderly and would pay up without querying it.

I may be naive, but surely if someone did try to pay it the council would send the cheque back or if they tried to pay over the phone would say sorry, it's actually an overpayment and we are going to pay you.

Or would they take the money and therefore double the overpayment and say nothing?

How does the letter say the overpayment will be repaid? What instructions are on it?

Are you sure the statement says "Contribution overpaid by" and not, as per the letter, "Contribution underpaid by"?

A negative underpayment is an overpayment.

Anyway, if the amount your DM has paid is correct, ring them up and say their computer has eaten its own head due to the numbers being negative. They probably get this all the time.

DevilsRoulette The letter states that "the under-payment will need to be repaid. I enclose a prepaid envelope for your convenience". There was no prepaid envelope. I've emailed asking them to explain why they think we owe £160.44

That letter definitely implies that they owe you money.

If you don't get a response, send them a photocopy of the letter, with the relevant parts underlines, and write that you have enclosed a self-addressed envelope for their convenience ...

underlined

I agree, they owe you the money. I would ring them and clear it up.

Sounds like someone's cocked up and designed a piss poor letter from a template for when someone does owe money!

I'd be tempted to send them a bill right back. With a prepaid envelope for their convenience.

Yes, I know that wouldn't help in reality, but I'd want to!

Great minds, newt

The person I need to speak to only works part-time and it's difficult for me to call from work. Think I'll give her the right to reply to my email, but if she doesn't respond, I'll send a letter with an SAE