DWP warns £5,000 in Universal Credit 'will now have to be taken back'

A disabled woman has been ordered to pay back thousands of pounds to the DWP after being incorrectly paid benefits she was told she was entitled to.

The Department for Work and Pensions has ordered a woman to repay £5,000 in benefits. A disabled woman has been ordered to pay back thousands of pounds to the DWP after being incorrectly paid benefits she was told she was entitled to.

Yvonne Buckley was overpaid by more than £5,000 in the DWP benefit between November 2021 and August 2023 due to "incorrect payment of housing costs". The 58-year-old, who is disabled, worked on and off during that period.

But speaking to the BBC this week, disabled Yvonne said she was repeatedly told she was eligible for the benefits she was receiving. The DWP wrote to her saying: "You have been paid more universal credit than you are entitled.

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"This will now be taken back." Ms Buckley, from Suffolk, 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. 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."

Last month, she received a letter which said she would have to pay back the entire £5,086, even though she "did not contribute to the overpayment". "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."

A DWP spokesperson added: "Support is in place for people who need to make repayments and we are currently exploring all options on how best to reduce fraud and error.”