Benefit Payments Today

[onadifferentplanet]

Has anyone else not recieved payment they were expecting today ? The payment I would usually have got today has not arrived as its the first one of the financial year I wondered if it's just me or a more major thing. Phone lines have been constantly engaged since 8 this morning.

Is it a tax credit payent? No idea if there is an issue but crap if the lines are totally clogged up.

No its ESA. I am being moved from contribution based to income based at the end of the month so fully expected something to go wrong then but it shouldn't have affected today's payment.

I've not received mine either. I've spoken to someone at the office and he said there's no reason on file that I shouldn't have been paid and I should get a call back from payments team within 4 hours.

I have returned the form to move from contributions based to income based from 1st may, so even though that's not been processed yet I should have been paid up to 30th April.

Helpfully I've gone overdrawn because a direct debit has come out and my bank say unless the funds are deposited by 2.30pm it will be reversed and I'll be charged for it. I don't hold out much hope when I could be waiting until 1pm before I even speak to someone that can sort it out, and if I lose that money to bank charges there are 2 hospital appointments that I won't be able to afford to attend next week.

I'm getting really very anxious about it.

I finally got through and was told the same I woould get a call back by 12. I havn't had a form I only know I am being transferred as got a letter from the council saying they had been notified of the change. My direct debits aren't until tomorrow but if it's not sorted will be in the same position as you. last time this haappened it took 3 days before I got it so getting quite worried now. Like you am relying on the money to get to medical appt next week.

The bank don't like doing it, but they CAN manually reverse the direct debit so that you don't get charged. They won't do it if you regularly get bank charges, but if you speak to a supervisor or the branch manager and explain what has happened (they should be able to see that the money usually goes in same time very regularly) and push politely for it, they can help you.

agree with rockchick. as it was a regular payment that didn't come when due then the bank should return reverse teh DD.

I have a basic bank account, the bank (Natwest) say that if the dd is reversed I will be charged for the reversal, which will still leave me overdrawn. The type of account I have you can't have an overdraft at all so any overdraft over the £5 buffer incurs daily charges.

I've just filled out an online application for a new account with a different bank. It's not the first time Natwest have done this kind of thing. A year or so ago when I first claimed ESA I had lots of problems with payment which took the involvement of my MP to get sorted out and Natwest's charges left me with no money at all once I did get it sorted. I ended up being referred to the local Salvation Army for help by the CAB at one point and they bought me some shopping on my son's 12th birthday, along with a card and book to give him as a present.

Sorry, I'm starting to get myself in a bit of a state here. I suffer with anxiety and depression and the panic that we're going to be left in the same position again is making me physically sick. I keep trying to tell myself that I'm jumping the gun and it's something that can be easily sorted and it won't come to that.

Have just had a called and told 'system erro'r and it will be in before the end of the day. they weren't able to give me a time.

worrydoll I've PM'd you.

rockchick I have replied, thank you for your advice it was very helpful :)

I'm glad you've got sorted onadifferentplanet I think mine is probably a similar thing, apologies for hijacking your thread.

The bank have now sorted out reversing the dd for me, which has reduced the panic levels significantly. I've got enough food in for a couple of days, and when the funds are returned to my account I'll have a little bit of cash for the odd thing we're running out of there too so will be ok even if this does take a day or two to get sorted out. As long as it's all done before Monday I will still be able to make my hospital appointments too. I've still not heard back from DWP though.

From doing some googling it seems to be because any payments due are slightly different from usual as rates changed last week so you will be getting part of your payment at one rate and part at anothe IYSWIM. Not really an excuse but it seems to be very common at this time of year and their system can't handle it. Hopefully yours will be sorted by the end of the day too.

I've just had a call to say it's a system error to do with the new rates, the fact that I'm waiting for the form to transfer my claim from contributions based to income related to be processed and a small deduction that I have from a crisis loan when I first applied for esa, which meant that the payment had to be manually released and it hadn't been picked up on so hadn't been released.

It might be sorted today but apparently they are very busy with the esa rules for contribution based claims changing so I may not get it until tomorrow. I'm a little irritated that it's taken so long to get back to me (I rang at just gone 8 this morning) and I may not receive the payment until tomorrow, but at least I know it's sorted and I will be getting a payment at some point.

WorryDoll, did you get this sorted ok ?

I got paid the following day in the end, after lots more chasing.

The exact same thing has happened again today, 2 weeks later. I have been assured that payment will be in the bank by 2pm, after last time I'll believe it when I see it.

They've also said that the form for transferring from contribution based to means tested hasn't yet been processed so I'm likely to have the same happen again in a fortnight. I'm supposed to be avoiding stress at the moment too, I'm just getting over being really quite ill and this is really not helpful