The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has asked thousands of people to pay back Universal Credit payments received during the pandemic, reports suggest. The government is attempting to claw back around £500 million in benefit handouts, according to the Independent.
Just short of 15,000 people say they have been asked to hand back money they are entitled to, reports suggest, with many being told to make repayments simply because they missed phone calls and messages from the DWP as it carries out retrospective evidence checks.
The DWP suspended face-to-face evidence checks during the pandemic and is now working through a backlog of claims to gather the correct evidence. The government department said claimants who do not "provide evidence/fully engage in the process” could be asked to hand the money back.
