Overpayments - housing benefit

An overpayment of council tax or housing benefit is when more benefit has been paid than you were entitled to. This usually happens when your circumstances have changed and the housing benefit office was not aware.

When we find out we have overpaid your benefit we will write to you explaining what has happened and tell you how much the overpayment is for. You will be given the chance to ask for the decision to be looked at again.

It may be possible to reduce the overpayment by the amount of benefit you would have been entitled to had you applied in time. This is called underlying entitlement.

Your Council Tax Benefit overpayment will be added to your Council Tax account.  You will be sent a bill for the new amount. 

If you are overpaid Housing Benefit you will be asked to repay it.  If you still receive Housing Benefit we will recover it from your ongoing entitlement.  If you no longer receive Housing Benefit we will send you an invoice.