Overpayments of benefit and tax credits (Scotland), 17 – 18 May 2022 ONLINE

Benefit may be overpaid for many reasons and recovery often leaves people in hardship. The rules on recoverability vary considerably between DWP benefits, housing benefit and tax credits and now, Scottish benefits, and the course highlights the significance of claimant or official error for each. Using practical examples, this course equips you to deal with overpayments by taking a systematic approach to checking and challenging recoverability.

The course covers:

• An overview of the necessary decision-making process before an overpayment decision can be made
• The tests of misrepresentation and failure to disclose central to overpayments of DWP benefits
• Housing benefit overpayments, the role of official error and recovery from landlords
• Tax credit overpayments and HMRC’s discretion to recover
• Universal credit overpayments
• Scottish social security overpayments
• Overpayment appeals
• Methods of recovery

The course will be delivered online via Zoom from 10am to 1pm each day with a half hour break from 11.15 – 11.45. 

It is a practical course, delivered using a combination of trainer presentation, exercises and group discussion. Participants will need a Wi-Fi connection and a suitable device to access the internet. It is not recommended to join via a mobile phone. Participants will receive an email a few days before the start of the course, with a link to the event hosted on our AskCPAG elearning platform.