Housing Benefit and Local Council Tax Support Overpayments

An overpayment is where you have been paid more Housing Benefit or Local Council Tax Support than you are entitled to.

A change in your circumstances will have reduced the benefit that you are due from a date in the past. This could be for a number for reasons, for instance:

• A change in your income
• An increase in your capital
• A change in the size of your household
• A change of address

If you have been overpaid Housing Benefit or Local Council Tax Support you will be notified by the Benefits team in writing.

For all Local Council Tax Support overpayments you will be issued with a revised Council Tax bill, which will show the new instalments due at the bottom. Whilst any appeal is being made against this overpayment you still have to pay in accordance with the bill issued, we will not suspend recovery action and you may get notices from us.

For Housing Benefit overpayments you will have one calendar month from the date of notification to write to the Benefits team to query or appeal their decision. On the reverse of the notification letters there will be details of the appeal process. If you write in to appeal the Housing Benefit decision recovery of the overpayment will be suspended until the matter is resolved, this is not the same for Local Council Tax Support overpayments.

You may still be asked to repay an overpayment that was not your fault. The Council will hold you responsible for an overpayment if you could reasonably have been expected to know that you were being overpaid.

► How do I repay an overpayment?

► Report a change of Circumstances (Benefits)