Benefit claimants who received Covid support at the height of the pandemic are being told to repay every penny back – with some claimants describing the emergency support as a ‘loan’ not a ‘benefit’.
The Mirror has spoken to dozens of people who have received sudden bills from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in the past six months, asking for all the Covid support they received back.
It follows our investigation into dad Gary Blake who had been sent a bill for an overpayment because of missing ID.
In the vast majority of cases we spoke to, claimants were told to submit ID – despite already sharing it, while others were told to repay their Covid benefits because they did not have a tenancy agreement. In many cases, shortly after providing these documents, the claimants were sent a shock bill.
Mirror reader Sheila Richards said she received an unexpected bill for £6,000 earlier this year after receiving help during the pandemic.
The DWP allegedly told the claimant it was because she had not submitted a photo of herself.
“I had provided photo ID at my local Job Centre Plus on the many occasions that I had been asked to visit, so I didn’t consider it to be that crucial,” Sheila, who is self-employed, told The Mirror.
She is now disputing the charges with the DWP. Sheila wrote to her constituent MP but never heard back.
“When I contacted the DWP, I explained my situation and the lady offered to try to get the payments to the DWP reduced,” she said. “My concern is why am I being asked to repay it in the first place?”
Reader Avril joined Universal Credit last March after losing her job as a retail merchandiser.
“In August I was asked to send my ID which I did a couple of weeks later. I was then asked to send it again because it wasn't clear enough which I did," she said.
“Out of the blue on October 8, I received a letter asking me to pay back £1,948.
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“They said it was because I’d not submitted any ID but on my journal it said 'ID completed'.”
Reader Darren is facing a similar ordeal.
“I applied for Universal Credit and was assessed at the time but I have now received a letter saying I need to pay back over £5,000.
“Apparently it’s because they were unable to verify my ID,” he said.
“I feel as though I have done everything I could to make a genuine claim and now I’m under so much stress as to how I’m going to pay this back. I’ve now been forced into debt.”
Single parent Nikita faces a familiar struggle. She earns just £778 a month and has now been told to pay it all back.
“We’re all struggling as it is. I’m a single mum, I have been for two years. I have no family or friends to rely on and now I have a huge debt on my shoulders.
“I literally couldn’t tell you how hard it is having to struggle with a seven-month-old and two- year-old,” she told The Mirror.
Self-employed Luke Jackson says the DWP has resorted to taking payments from his wages - but at no point have they explained why.
He claims the department wants £1,800 back.
“I currently work for a Theatre in Education company and perform shows in schools,” the 24-year-old told us.
“I applied for Universal Credit during the first lockdown when I lost all work I was doing. I was told I was eligible and I received my payments,” he said.
When work started to pick up again, Luke said he cancelled his benefits because he no longer needed assistance.
Then four months ago he received a letter stating he owes £1,800.
“I’ve since contacted the DWP and have been passed around since July.
“I was most recently told that my case manager would definitely be in contact with me by the start of October, it’s now nearly the end of October and I haven’t heard a thing.”
The DWP has now started taking money from Luke’s earnings.
“This is money that I can’t afford for something I haven’t done. During the school holidays I don’t earn any money.”
Luke has managed to reduce these repayments down from £50 to £20 a month through the department but he remains in the dark about what the overpayment is for.
“The whole process has been one huge stress. I can’t imagine the impact this whole process has had on other people’s mental health.
“The fact that they’re currently unfairly taking money out of my account each month makes me feel robbed by a system that is supposedly there to help.”
Darren Johnson, 36, says he has been told he owes £3,000.
He says the repayment is due because he never received an official tenancy agreement.
“In 2019 I had to move from the house I was lodging at in Poole, Dorset, due to my live in landlady needing her room back because her elderly father was ill,” he said.
“I put out a wanted advert on spare room and a lady got in touch to offer a room in Weymouth, it was the only option I had so I took it," he said.
“I was offered a job almost immediately but then Covid lockdown hit and I couldn't start, I had seven months off work on Universal Credit.”
Darren received £411 a month but being a lodger, he claims he never had a contract or agreement: “I just paid the deposit and paid the rent every month.
Then during the second lockdown, still unemployed, he received a message stating he had to send details of his tenancy agreement or face a fine.
“I replied that I had no official tenancy agreement, I found a room online and rented as a lodger so I would need to visit my previous landlady to get a signed letter stating what I paid.
“I have now had a seizure of earnings notice and I've been told I'm to pay nearly £3,000.
“It’s like Covid Universal Credit payments were a loan rather than payment," he said.
Many of these claimants believe the DWP treated Universal Credit as a loan, rather than a benefit during Covid.
Their names most likely feature in a list of thousands of people being chased for further identification as part of a crackdown on fraud during the pandemic.
The DWP told The Mirror those that do not submit the ID will face an overpayment charge.
However, many of the people we spoke to had submitted ID – only to be told they still owe thousands back, leaving many to feel like criminals.
The DWP estimates that it has overpaid the public by £8.4million in total in the past year.
A DWP spokesperson said anyone concerned can dispute the repayments.
It insisted that all the overpayments have been paid to people who received money they “are not entitled to”.
“At the start of the pandemic we suspended some verification processes as we could no longer see customers face-to-face. We made customers aware that we may return to seek this verification in the future.
“If claimants have been paid money that they are not entitled to, then it is right we seek to correct this on behalf of the taxpayer, whilst offering support to ensure that any repayments are affordable.”
