In a mess with Universal Credit/overpaid by previous employers - what would you do?

[Namechange1943]

I am currently sick and on Universal Credit (Limited Capability for work and work related activity). In August and September I received two payments from my former employer. I queried them and was told they were backdated pay (pay awards etc). Following really helpful advice on here I informed Universal Credit and Council Tax. Although I continued to receive universal credit (albeit at a lower rate) I was no longer entitled to council tax support.

Anyway today I received another email from my former employer saying that the payments were an administrative error and they want the money to be repaid. They have asked me to attend a meeting next Friday to discuss repayment options. I am completely at a loss as to what to do. I have spent the money on bills - my universal credit was reduced as a consequence of reviving the money. I will see if they will take payments over a number of months but just feel so fed up. Every time I feel I am getting a handle on things something goes wrong. I suppose there is no point informing Universal Credit/Council Tax I just have to get on with it?

No idea on legalities but I'd be telling them to swivel for it I think. Do you still have the communication from them saying it was a correct payment?

I don’t have anything in writing from them (pay services are a call centre) but so far they are not denying that they said that. I did email Universal Credit at the time saying I have queried the payment but they insisted that it was correct/back pay. Just frustrating as I would probably have got a similar (albeit smaller) amount from Universal Credit and been entitled to council tax support.

when there was a mix-up with payroll and dates and my wages showed incorrectly higher so I received less uc that month, I told UC what had happened they took a few days to look in to it and they went back and changed the lower award and paid me the amount it had been incorrectly reduced by

I think your employer will need to correct the record with HMRC. You can then come to a repayment arrangement and ask UC to raise an RTI dispute to correct what will now be an underpayment. This can takes a long while I am afraid. Maybe ask ACAS too.