Friday 24 October 2014

Benefit Overpayments Linked To Increase of In-Work Claimants

An increase in the overpayments of housing benefit could be because of an increase in the number of claimants in work, according to the spending watchdog. The rate of error in payment of housing benefit - by officials and claimants - went up to 4.4% in 2013/14 from 3.8% in 2012/13, says a report by the National Audit Office. This is mainly because of claimants failing to inform councils or give complete details of their changes in income, although there is no fraudulent intent, the report released on Friday states. ‘The main source of claimant error comes from unreported fluctuations in earnings,’ says the report Housing Benefit Fraud and Error. Download a copy of the report from the NAO website.

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