Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Cost of living

Stretching your budget? Share tips and advice to discuss budgeting and energy saving here. For the latest deals and discounts, sign up for Mumsnet Moneysaver emails.

Original poster

I owe UC a lot of money by recieving housing benefit I didn’t realise I was still getting

273 replies

Sunshine225 · 14/10/2025 06:45

So i was so poorly during my pregnancy with Hyperemisis. Then when I had my daughter I had a c section and have been struggling with my mental health due to illness during pregnancy and then continuing to have PPD. I didn’t realise I hadn’t changed my address (moved out January this year) and have been getting housing benefit for my old rented property. I have moved in with the father of my child’s dad as I had nowhere else to go and now I’m scared I’m going to get prosecuted for fraud. I have found this overpayment out and going to inform them and give them all the evidence to prove I didn’t realise and I’m so worried about the outcome. Has this happened to anyone else?

OP posts:
GAJLY · 14/10/2025 07:46

ComfortFoodCafe · 14/10/2025 07:40

Thats fraud, she cant do that. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Show quote history

It's not fraud to update your details! Im fact its fraud if she doesnt uodate her address! The amendment will trigger a form being sent out asking further questions. Eventually she'll get a bill of over payment. She can negotiate how much she can repay each week.

Treesaregreen83 · 14/10/2025 07:46

I know its hard, but try not to worry. Once you tell UC about the mix up, you will have to pay it back but you can sort out a payment plan with them where they'll deduct from your current benefits, or take a managable amount via dd each week. I'm sure they'll understand if you've been struggling with your mental health so try not to work yourself up. Just give them a call with the dates you moved out and be as honest as you can. I'm sure you'll feel much better once you've spoken to someone from uc and cleared the air.

Danikm151 · 14/10/2025 07:47

If baby was 5 months you would have had to add them to your claim. Didn’t you have to confirm your details at that point?

NotEnoughKnittingTime · 14/10/2025 07:47

Soontobe60 · 14/10/2025 07:39

She moved out 10 months ago, she can’t pretend that she moved out this week!

Show quote history

So she might not actually be entitled to any of that UC let alone the housing depending on her partner's wage.

Soontobe60 · 14/10/2025 07:47

clarrylove · 14/10/2025 07:44

Did you manage to claim child benefit? That might wreaken your case if you were too ill to notify them of the change but well enough to put in a new claim.

I was just thinking this - if the new baby was added to the claim 5 months ago without notifying UC of other changes of circumstances then it’s less clear cut to argue illness was a reason for not updating.

3WildOnes · 14/10/2025 07:50
  1. Did you update your claim to a joint claim?
  2. Did you add you 2nd child on to the claim.
femfemlicious · 14/10/2025 07:51

Dis you not tell them you are now living with your partner as well?. You will have been overpaid universal credit as well.

ComfortFoodCafe · 14/10/2025 07:54

GAJLY · 14/10/2025 07:46

It's not fraud to update your details! Im fact its fraud if she doesnt uodate her address! The amendment will trigger a form being sent out asking further questions. Eventually she'll get a bill of over payment. She can negotiate how much she can repay each week.

Show quote history

Read it first thing after waking up 😂 sounded like you were saying to say she only just moved!

poppy2024 · 14/10/2025 07:54

How much is it, and how much is left

HaudYerWheeshtYaWeeBellend · 14/10/2025 07:54

YABU!

You made sure to claim child benefit and claim for the newborn in that period but “forgot” to update them of your circumstances and change of address.

I smell BS!

Tell them and deal with the consequences of your own actions.

ComfortFoodCafe · 14/10/2025 07:55

Unfortunately as youve obviously not updated to a joint claim your gonna end up with them investigating you if you dont sort it out along with a massive overpayment. You need to tell them today.

LupaMoonhowl · 14/10/2025 07:57

Could you not notice the money coming into your account? If you haven’t spent it, then you can easily just pay it back.

Lifebeganat50 · 14/10/2025 07:57

Sunshine225 · 14/10/2025 07:04

I will absolutely repay and I will notify them. I noticed it before they have.

Show quote history

I have no actual knowledge of how it all works but I would really hope that the fact that you’re going to go to them and say “you’ve been giving me too much money, how can we sort it?” will have a whole different comtext than them coming after you

Upsetbetty · 14/10/2025 08:03

I mean, I don’t even claim benefits and I know that you would have to update them with any change of circumstances. So unfortunately, if you moved in with your partner, you should’ve told him. You had a new baby did you tell them that? You can’t pick and choose what you tell them…

BubblyBath178 · 14/10/2025 08:04

You didn’t check your statements in 10 months?? I call bullshit OP. But I guess it’s ok because if you didn’t know it was there, you won’t have spent it so you can pay it straight back? Nope, thought not. Meaning you did know it was there.

londongirl12 · 14/10/2025 08:05

I doubt they’ll prosecute you if you contact them now and tell them what’s happened. They’ll make you pay it back. And even if they do prosecute, you can’t do anything about it now. Best phone them when they open this morning and get it sorted.

Rooroobear · 14/10/2025 08:05

Lifebeganat50 · 14/10/2025 07:57

I have no actual knowledge of how it all works but I would really hope that the fact that you’re going to go to them and say “you’ve been giving me too much money, how can we sort it?” will have a whole different comtext than them coming after you

Show quote history

They will still have to investigate either way. Whether it’s her telling them or them telling her. This is dodgy af. Like others have said I bet she managed to claim child benefit for her newborn and updated her uc claim to tell them she had another child. It’s bullshit. She’s, rightly, worried and telling us she forgot. If it’s harsh it’s harsh. They take this very seriously

ComfortFoodCafe · 14/10/2025 08:09

londongirl12 · 14/10/2025 08:05

I doubt they’ll prosecute you if you contact them now and tell them what’s happened. They’ll make you pay it back. And even if they do prosecute, you can’t do anything about it now. Best phone them when they open this morning and get it sorted.

They may do, they take this sort of thing very seriously especially as ops managed to update her claim for having a baby.

MysteryNameChange · 14/10/2025 08:13

BubblyBath178 · 14/10/2025 08:04

You didn’t check your statements in 10 months?? I call bullshit OP. But I guess it’s ok because if you didn’t know it was there, you won’t have spent it so you can pay it straight back? Nope, thought not. Meaning you did know it was there.

Why are you talking like that to someone who has been really really sick and now has PPD? You need to give your head a wobble.

It's a mistake - actually not that uncommon - if she contacts them about the overpayment and arranged to repay it, they will not prosecute for fraud.

So many horrible and unkind comments on this thread it's disgusting, absolute disgrace.

Rooroobear · 14/10/2025 08:16

MysteryNameChange · 14/10/2025 08:13

Why are you talking like that to someone who has been really really sick and now has PPD? You need to give your head a wobble.

It's a mistake - actually not that uncommon - if she contacts them about the overpayment and arranged to repay it, they will not prosecute for fraud.

So many horrible and unkind comments on this thread it's disgusting, absolute disgrace.

Show quote history

The point is there’s no way she didn’t make a claim for child benefit whilst she’s been ill. If she’s managed to do that she should have managed to tell them she’d moved. When it comes to how much money you’re getting in you know how much you’re meant to get. Absolutely.
Quite rightly, people hate benefit fraud. You can’t say you forgot whilst also informing the government you’ve also had another child so you can get child benefits. One goes with the other. It literally takes 2 minutes to update your claim

Londonrach1 · 14/10/2025 08:18

Tell them as soon as possible and get a repayment plan sorted. Is it the baby grandfather or dad you moved into as I read it as the grandfather

FairKoala · 14/10/2025 08:19

Upsetbetty · 14/10/2025 07:03

Not knowing = ignorance…it’s not accepted as an excuse for anything.

you will be asked to pay it back.

And I’ve said it on here before and I’ll say it again…it’s really funny how people never realise for ages that they are being overpaid but they realise instantly when they are a fraction underpaid. If circumstances change then usually money changes as no two situations = the same amount of money EXACTLY!

This isn’t about ignorance it is about not being able to see that money specifically from H/B was being paid into the account.

If someone is expecting a certain amount of money and that sort of money was being paid into an account then why would you think anything was wtong

I wouldn’t worry about it. Tell them when you moved out of the property and stop the HB payment and let them come back to you

You can then set up a payment plan
at what you can afford

Dd did tell UC several times to stop paying her but they continued. Then when they stopped and worked out her over payment she negotiated £5 per month repayment. She had the overpayment money but decided to pay off her credit card with it when they said they would take £5 per month. The interest on the credit card was more than £5 per month

Rooroobear · 14/10/2025 08:20

Also as a side, the op said she was updating her claim to put in sick notes so why not update them with moving at the same time??? So she has been logging in to update her being sick and probably getting more uc for not earning as much at work. We’re not stupid. 10 months she’s been fraudulently claiming. Sounds like plenty of opportunity to update them. You don’t forget you’ve moved but remember to put your sick notes in with them

whimsicallyprickly · 14/10/2025 08:23

HaudYerWheeshtYaWeeBellend · 14/10/2025 07:54

YABU!

You made sure to claim child benefit and claim for the newborn in that period but “forgot” to update them of your circumstances and change of address.

I smell BS!

Tell them and deal with the consequences of your own actions.

Edited

I think that IF it's true ^ that you claimed CB even though you were ill, but omitted to tell DWP that your living circumstances had changed because you were ill.....then your protestations of "I was too ill too tell DWP and because I was so ill, I forgot" are absolute hogwash

Contact DWP , tell them they've overpaid you, ask for a payment plan to pay the money back

Of course, if you weren't aware that you were being paid extra money, you won't have spent that money.....but that's not true either, is it?

PiggieWig · 14/10/2025 08:26

Back in the days of tax credits, overpayments were really common because they relied on an annual estimate. They’d usually allow you to repay either from your remaining benefits or in small amounts, eg £20 a month.
Notify them asap and make arrangements to pay it back.