Council Tax Support
Overpayments
An overpayment is a payment of Council Tax Support made to a claimant that exceeds the amount of support they are entitled to receive.
If we have paid you more support than you are entitled to, this money can be recovered. This means that we can ask claimants to repay the money to the council via their Council Tax bills.
If the overpayment is as a result of a council processing error and the claimant would not be expected to be aware they were being overpaid, generally the council will not pursue such overpayment.
Why overpayments occur
Benefit overpayments can happen for a number of reasons, such as:
- You have not told us that you have had an increase in your income, e.g. in your pay, tax credit award or pension
- Somebody has moved in or out of your home
- You have not told us that you have moved out of your home
- You have started or changed job
- The circumstances of other adults living with you have changed.
How we notify you of an overpayment
If you have an overpayment, you will receive a Council Tax bill that includes the overpayment.
If you wish to receive an explanation of the reasons why the overpayment has occurred, contact us by phone on 0345 302 2316.