State Contributory Pension Overpayment Concern

[stevehend]

Hi all. I hope you are able to help us with this.

My father (in his 90's) received a letter today from the government pension people in Sligo regarding his State Contributory Pension. They were checking that the amount he receives for his wife, my mother, (Qualifying Adult) is correct. However my mother died in 2006!

Dad is based in the UK and wasn't aware how his pension was calculated nor that a part of it was mum's pension so it never occurred to him to contact Sligo when mum died (we are based in the UK). We've never received one of these letters before. Of course now that we have received this letter we will notify them but Dad is worried sick that he now owes the pension people thousands of euros and they will be hounding him for the overpayment.

Can anyone give an idea what might now happen and how best to go with this. Thanks

 

[Marsupial]

Hi all. I hope you are able to help us with this.

My father (in his 90's) received a letter today from the government pension people in Sligo regarding his State Contributory Pension. They were checking that the amount he receives for his wife, my mother, (Qualifying Adult) is correct. However my mother died in 2006!

Dad is based in the UK and wasn't aware how his pension was calculated nor that a part of it was mum's pension so it never occurred to him to contact Sligo when mum died (we are based in the UK). We've never received one of these letters before. Of course now that we have received this letter we will notify them but Dad is worried sick that he now owes the pension people thousands of euros and they will be hounding him for the overpayment.

Can anyone give an idea what might now happen and how best to go with this. Thanks

The file will be referred to the relevant section in the Department of Social Welfare which, will calculate the overpayment due and (in due course - maybe in six months' time, or longer) write to your father enclosing the calculations and telling him how they propose to recoup the repayment due.
(Note that they are legally obliged to recoup the overpayment so cannot simply waive the debt; although they can be flexible in how it is recouped. Note also that, unlike Revenue, they don't charge any interest on the amount due.
In your father's case, an offer to repay say €50 a week from his own pension might be acceptable!)

See here for more info:-

Social welfare overpayments

The Department of Social Protection recoups overpayments of social welfare benefits and entitlements. Find out how overpayments are collected

www.citizensinformation.ie

 

[Clamball]

This is really difficult for you Dad, but overpayments need to be paid back. If you look at the paperwork that was sent over the years it was probably very obvious it was a pension for you Dad and Mum, and every year there is a lot of discussion of the pension rate so it is very unfortunate you Dad did not catch this sooner. All the advice when someone dies is to contact welfare within 6 weeks to advise them of a death as it may be relevant to social welfare payments etc.

Does your Dad have a house? Or other assets? Given his advanced age DSW may be prepared to wait for the overpayments to be refunded after you Dad passes away from his estate. “Your personal representatives may be asked to repay the amounts owed from your estate.”

 

[stevehend]

Thanks everyone for your comments. Once the figures come through from DSW we can negotiate that perhaps it can be repaid from his house when he passes away - at least he won't have to get stressed by it now

 

[Marsupial]

A thing that far too many people overlook when signing the Application Form for virtually every Social Welfare payment is that they are giving the following commitment:-

I undertake to immediately advise the Department of any change in the circumstances
of me or my spouse, civil partner or cohabitant which may affect my continued entitlement.

 

[Dr Strangelove]

Once the figures come through from DSW we can negotiate that perhaps it can be repaid from his house when he passes away - at least he won't have to get stressed by it now

DSP are happy if you engage at all. Their powers if you are abroad tend to be limited.

Look to set up a nominal repayment of something like €20 per week. The balance can come out of his estate in due course.