People on Universal Credit who've had holiday at risk of having to repay £5,000
People who have been on holiday and claim Universal Credit are at risk of having to repay £5k to the Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP ). Yvonne Buckley, from Ipswich, was overpaid by more than £5,000 between November 2021 and August 2023 due to "incorrect payment of housing costs".
Ms Buckley, 58, told BBC Suffolk she always kept the DWP informed of any changes to her employment. She said: “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.”
During this period, she said she was even able to afford a 14-day holiday to Barbados. "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.
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"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." In 2023, Ms Buckley was informed that she should not have received some payments and owed £4,600, despite the DWP admitting their mistake. She said she appealed the decision but was unsuccessful.
Although the Debt Management Office initially told her the debt would be waived and even paid her £350 in compensation, Ms Buckley received a letter last month demanding the full repayment of £5,086. "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.