Overview

Tell the office dealing with your benefit straight away if:

You may have to pay back the benefit if you’ve been overpaid.

There’s a different process for tax credits overpayment and Child Benefit overpayment, or if you’ve been overpaid by Social Security Scotland or the Department for Communities (DfC).

You may be prosecuted for benefit fraud or have to pay a penalty if you do not tell benefit providers about overpayments.

This guide is also available in Welsh (Cymraeg).

If you’ve been overpaid Universal Credit

You can report an overpayment by signing into your Universal Credit account or calling the Universal Credit helpline.

Universal Credit helpline
Telephone: 0800 328 5644
Welsh language: 0800 328 1744
Textphone: 0800 328 1344
Relay UK (if you cannot hear or speak on the phone): 18001 then 0800 328 5644
British Sign Language (BSL) video relay service if you’re on a computer - find out how to use the service on mobile or tablet
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm
Find out about call charges

When the benefit office will contact you

You’ll get a letter to let you know that you’ve been overpaid.

If you think it’s a mistake you can ask for mandatory reconsideration. You usually need to do this within one month of receiving the letter.

Housing Benefit paid directly to your landlord

Your landlord may be asked to repay the money if they’re responsible for an overpayment. You may have to repay if it was your fault.