Deductions from your Housing Benefit

If you are still in receipt of Housing Benefit we will take deductions of £11.10 per week from your award, leaving at least a minimum payment of 50p. From the 1st April 2016 the set deduction rate will be £11.10. This deduction rate may be increased if the overpayment has been found to have occurred due to fraudulent information being provided.

You will be notified in writing of the deduction amount one calendar month prior to the deductions commencing. Deductions will continue until the overpayment is paid in full or there is a change to your claim or award.

If your Housing Benefit entitlement ends and there is still a balance outstanding you will be sent an invoice.

What happens if I no longer receive Housing Benefit?

If you are no longer in receipt of Housing Benefits you will be sent an invoice. If you are unable to pay this in full you will need to contact us immediately with your proposal for repayment.

Once an arrangement has been agreed and put in place it will be your responsibility to pay us. If your circumstances change and you are struggling to keep up to date with the arrangement please contact us and we will see if any adjustments can be made to the instalments.

Ways to pay

There are various different ways to pay back a Housing Benefit Overpayment, to do so you will need the invoice number which begins with a '5'. If you do not know your invoice number or are unsure if it is the correct one, please call the Sundry Debtor team on 01799 510356 to confirm.

• By Debit or Credit Card at the Council Offices.
• By Debit or Credit Card over the phone - please call 01799 510510.
• By Bank Transfer - from your bank account to the Councils account
• By Standing Order - which you will need to set up with your bank directly
• Online - Housing benefit overpayment (opens new window)

Uttlesford District Council bank with Barclays, our details (for sending a Bank Transfer payment or setting up a Standing Order) are as follows:

Account: 30999520
Sort Code: 20-74-21
Reference: Will be the invoice number

What happens if I don't pay?

If you do not come to a payment arrangement with us, and the debt is outstanding, you will be issued with a final recovery notice warning of the other recovery methods the Council may employ to collect the debt. These include:

• Attachment to Earnings Order - we may write to your employer to request deductions be taken from your wages to clear this debt, you will be notified in writing if this option is taken.
• Deductions from Job Seekers Allowance (IR), Employment Support Allowance (IR), Income Support, State Pension Credit Guarantee Credit - if you are in receipt of one of these benefits we can take weekly deductions of £3.70
• Outside Agency - this may include other Local Authorities
• County Court Warrant of Execution - with a Warrant of Execution the Council can request the following actions:
  • The debt will be passed to the Court Enforcement Agent, which will incur further fees
  • Place a Charging Order on your home or property you own, which means that you will need to clear the debt before any re-mortgage can be applied or if the property is sold the debt will be paid from the proceeds
  • Start bankruptcy proceedings
  • Garnishee of bank account - apply to court to seize monies held in a bank account