Housing benefit overpayments

All overpayments are recoverable except in the case of Housing Benefit only where the following applies:

• the overpayment was caused by an official error, and
• the claimant, someone acting on their behalf, or the person to whom payment was made, could not have reasonably been expected to know that an overpayment had occurred

Any award of Council Tax Support that you are not entitled to will be removed from your bill and your liability will be recalculated.

The best way to ensure that you do not have to repay any overpaid benefit to the Council is to tell the benefit section immediately of any changes in your circumstances. This avoids the possibility of you having to repay a large amount of debt, or the potential of facing penalties and prosecution.

You can report a change in your circumstances by letter or by completing the online form below:

Report a change of circumstances 

If you delay reporting a change of circumstances you may be prosecuted.

Email address: benefit@brentwood.gov.uk

If you are still receiving some Housing Benefit when an overpayment is notified to you, a deduction will be made to your Housing Benefit. Your Housing Benefit will be reduced (by a minimum of £11.10 per week from 1/4/2015) until the overpayment is repaid. This figure may be increased if you are working by 50% of any earned income disregard that applies to your entitlement calculation.

If the overpayment is caused by fraudulent activity the minimum level of recovery by deduction from your benefit will be £18.50 per week.

If you are no longer in receipt of Housing Benefit when an overpayment is notified you will be sent an invoice for the full amount of the overpayment.

What payment methods are available to me if I am invoiced?

Paying by instalments:

Direct Debit:

If you are paying by instalments you may prefer to set up a Direct Debit arrangement and pay through your bank. To pay by Direct Debit contact the Recovery Section on the Council's main telephone number: 01277 312500 and ask for a Direct Debit to be set up.

Payment by phone:

Telephone – 0345 200 1173 is our dedicated 24 hour automated telephone line for payments. Calls cost no more than calls to geographic numbers (01 or 02). Calls from landlines are typically charged up to 9p per minute; calls from mobiles typically cost between 3p and 40p per minute depending on your network provider. Calls from landlines and mobiles are normally included in free call packages.

Electronic payments:

You can pay online by credit or debit card:

Make a payment

Complete the name and address details, including your email address if you have one, and choose ‘INVOICES’ from the drop down menu. Follow the instructions on the screen to make your payment. If you provide an email address you will get an automatic email confirmation of your payment.

Cash or cheque payments:

If you receive an invoice for an overpayment of Housing Benefit you can pay in full by post or at your bank. Please note that the Council does not accept cash. We can accept payments by cheque at the Council Office through our fastpay machine. Please ensure you enclose the remittance advice on the bottom of the invoice or quote the invoice number.