Disabled Ipswich woman told to repay £5,000 of universal credit

A woman has been ordered to pay back thousands of pounds to the Department for Work and Pensions after being incorrectly paid benefits she was told she was entitled to.

Yvonne Buckley, from Ipswich, was overpaid by more than £5,000 in universal credit between November 2021 and August 2023 due to “incorrect payment of housing costs”.

The 58-year-old, who is disabled, worked on and off during that period but said she was repeatedly told she was eligible for the benefits she was receiving.

But over the last year Ms Buckley has been embroiled in a back-and-forth battle with the DWP, which has demanded she pay the money back, but said: “Support is in place for people who need to make repayments.”

One letter sent to Ms Buckley, which has been seen by the BBC, reads: “You have been paid more universal credit than you are entitled. This will now be taken back.”

Ms Buckley said she always informed the DWP of any changes to her employment, and often queried whether she was being paid too much.

“I did think it was a lot of money but they said even though I was working I was entitled to it because I was disabled, so I didn’t think anything of it,” she said.

“But I did start wondering why people were saying they were struggling on universal credit, because I wasn’t – I even went on a nice holiday to Barbados for 14 days.

“Then I was told in 2023 I shouldn’t have been entitled to some of the payments, and I owed them about £4,600, even though they admitted they made a mistake.

“Even if it’s an overpayment and you haven’t defrauded the DWP, you have to pay it back because it’s the law. They can waive it but it’s at their discretion.”

The benefits Ms Buckley received – on and off between November 2021 and August 2023 – included limited capability for work payments and support for mortgage interest payments.

After being told to pay back the money, Ms Buckley lodged an appeal which proved unsuccessful, before the Debt Management Office told her the debt would be waived.

Ms Buckley said she was even paid £350 in compensation.

But last month, she received a letter which said she would have to pay back the entire £5,086, even though she “did not contribute to the overpayment”.

“I was shocked because I was saving for my 60th birthday and I was hoping to do something for it, but I won’t be able to do that now,” said Ms Buckley.

“It has caused me significant hardship and I am not happy about it but I will just have to pay it back, I suppose – I’ve said I will pay it back at £1 per month.”

The DWP has now said it is looking into Ms Buckley’s case.

A DWP spokesperson added: “Support is in place for people who need to make repayments and we are currently exploring all options on how best to reduce fraud and error.”