Repayment of social welfare

Hi.

I've been claiming more "casual Workers" allowance for a number of months that I'm entitled to and I really want to pay it back. (worked 4 days and told sw I worked 2 or 3 etc etc.)

The problem I have is how do I go about it ?

I really want to pay it back but I dont want to end up in court for giving the money back.

Before everyone lashes into me for being a sponge, I know I am, and I'm wracked with guilt thus the reason I want to give it back.

I've spent hours upon hours looking for a way to repay it, but I cant seem to get any information regarding how to actually go about it other than go into the sw office and admit what I've done.

If I do that I'm terrified that they'll take me to court (which I know there quite intitled to do) even though I want to give them back there money.

Any suggestions please ?

Thanks,

Wanderer.

They would only take you to court if you were refusing to pay it back.
If you go to them they will work out how much you owe and agree a repayment schedule with you.

Some of our politicians & bankers could take lessons from you WANDERER. You're not a sponger, I'm sure you needed the extra cash at the time. Best of luck for the future.

Go and talk to them; you will not end up in court.

Thanks for all your replies but I'm still out of my mind with fear about going to the sw to tell them.
Its a shambles from start to finish, some weeks I'd say tell them that I worked 3 days or two and I actually worked 4 etc etc and now I cant remember what I worked or didn't work so I don't really know how much I owe them. This went on for months.
I'd say what I owe them is into the thousands now and I read somewhere that if the value of the overpayment exceeds a certain amount they have to proceed to the courts as the level of fraud is so serious.
I just wish that there was an amnesty and I could pay the whole lot back straight away but as I stated I don't want to end up with a sentence.
I know most people reading this is probably thinking that I'm a complete moran for doing what I did and I know I am but I cant find any way to make a mend to this situation.
I'm no better than the "Dole Cheats" that we all abhor and I really want to make amends to the situation.
Is there anyway that I could pay the majority of the sw back in one lump sum (My friend has just come into some money and has offered to lend it to me)Like by saying to them " here's all the social welfare that I've got over the past months.
Thanks for all your replies to date.

I think if you go in and put it like you have put it here, you'll get a sympathetic ear! If you don't SW will probably find out anyway as they ask employers (every 13 weeks or so, I think) to certify what days a claimant worked and compare them to the signing record. And what you did is more common than you think; it's too tempting for some people to 'forget' that they worked a day and sign for it instead! That is why they do checks and comparisons.
If you voluntarily go in to sort out, they will appreciate that. Maybe employer can give you a record of the days you wroked? You donlp;t have to say why you need it, just say SW want it or something. Go in with this record and tell them that you think/know you didn't sign for correct dates, asking them to check it out with the employer's record. They should come back with a figure that was overpaid to you and then you can repay that amount in a lump sum or by weekly deductions. It will not go to court; what you're reading is that all amounts over 5k are send for consideration for prosecution but, believe me, your case would never get that far!

A million thanks for all your help.
At least I can sleep now. ( I haven't slept since Tuesday).
I'm just concerned that the sw officer will turn around to me and say something like "well you did it knowingly so we will be taking this case further".
I asked the same question on another site and one of the responses that I got was that it will cause big problems due to the amount of warning that you are shown on the slips and cheques etc..
I've looked and looked for other examples of people trying to refund wrongful/incorrect payment and I cant find them anywhere so to say your advice was helpful is an understatement.
Do I need to make an appointment or should I just call in and speak with one of the people at the counter ?

Go in on a quieter day (maybe a Friday?) and for a supervisor in the Claims Maintenance Area. If they ask what its about, say 'overpayment'. If supervisor not available ask for the person dealing with your payments. Remember they're just ordinary people doing a job and not rottweilers intent on humiliating you and dragging you into court! You made a mistake and want to rectify it, end of story.