Hi there, I am wondering if anyone who has experience in housing benefits can help me.
DH and I separated last year and got back together in January this year up until which point I was claiming full housing/council tax benefit, income support, tax credits and DH was paying maintenance.
When we got back together in Jan, all agencies were notified immediately and new claims made for housing benefit and tax credits as DH is working. We now claim a small amount of top up housing benefit. Tax credits initially started making payments to us but did not send an award notice which we needed to show to housing benefit as proof of extra income. After numerous phone calls, we finally got a notice saying we were not entitled to anything and what they had paid us so far was an overpayment which they would be clawing back even though they had the correct income figures all along!! Because we would be having to pay it back anyway, I did not inform housing benefit of this income as IMO it was not 'income' iuswim.
Anyway last week I got a letter from housing benefit saying our payments were being suspended as there is a 'discrepancy' in the information they have and what we have provided them with. When I rang them the woman said that they get a list of discrepancies from the DWP and they have to make sure it all matches. She said my discrepancy related to tax credits but would not tell me when from or what it was about. So I have no idea whether it was to do with my single claim or joint claim. She said it looked fine to her and she had referred it back to the DWP for them to check again!! They cannot tell me how long it will take or anything else. I would like to help them sort it out quicker but they say i just have to wait. We were due a payment on Friday and as we have just paid our rent, that money was for groceries and we are going to literally starve without it!!
Can they really just stop the payment without telling me exactly what the problem is!!