u/Ambitious-Look6951

Hi everyone,

I’m in a mess of my own making and honestly could use some realistic advice.

​I’ve been on a solo UC claim for about 9 months (getting around £240 a month). I’ve also been on Carer’s Allowance for about 5 years, which has amounted currently to around £85 a week.

Before my solo uc claim I was in a joint claim for over a year with my ex, only making a solo one when we split.

During all this time, I’ve been working irregular/zero-hours contract, mostly paid into an HSBC saver account. I’ve been earning roughly £1,200–£2,000 a month, usually around the £1,600 mark but it has been sometimes a lot lower.

​I basically buried my head in the sand about reporting the income because with a child, life, everyday stress I didn't even think about it.

I still help my ex with bills because she is renting private and has been on council waiting list for around two years, she cannot afford it otherwise.

Regardless of excuses, I’ve now been asked to do a UC claim review and they’ve asked for 4 months of statements for my accounts of which I have two.

I am not going to hide anything, the income is clearly labeled on the statements from a business account.

I’m planning to upload them and send a journal message straight away admitting I haven’t declared this income and offering to pay back the UC overpayment in full as a lump sum.

​My main worries are that the UC review will flag my CA claim and previous joint claim which I will again be completely honest about.

I’ve looked and been earning way over the limit for parts of the last 5 years which is the length of time I have claimed Carer’s so the overpayment there could be big.

If it just relates to the solo claim then I will pay back what I owe and end my claim, if more then I would like to do the same but I am worried that that could escalate it to something else.

If I’m totally honest now, is there a chance they’ll keep this as a civil matter (like a fine/penalty) rather than a criminal fraud thing? I’m not trying to dodge the debt, I just want to avoid a court case or prison.

How likely am I to get called in for a formal interview? Does being cooperative and paying it all back now help avoid that?

​I’ve really struggled with the admin side of things and I know that’s no excuse, but I just want to make this right, pay what I owe no matter how long it takes, and move on with my life.

Has anyone been through similar recently, especially with the CA reviews happening this year?

​Thanks in advance.

Hi everyone,

I’m in a mess of my own making and honestly could use some realistic advice.

​I’ve been on a solo UC claim for about 9 months (getting around £240 a month). I’ve also been on Carer’s Allowance for about 5 years, which has amounted currently to around £85 a week.

Before my solo uc claim I was in a joint claim for over a year with my ex, only making a solo one when we split.

During all this time, I’ve been working irregular/zero-hours contract, mostly paid into an HSBC saver account. I’ve been earning roughly £1,200–£2,000 a month, usually around the £1,600 mark but it has been sometimes a lot lower.

​I basically buried my head in the sand about reporting the income because with a child, life, everyday stress I didn't even think about it.

I still help my ex with bills because she is renting private and has been on council waiting list for around two years, she cannot afford it otherwise.

Regardless of excuses, I’ve now been asked to do a UC claim review and they’ve asked for 4 months of statements for my accounts of which I have two.

I am not going to hide anything, the income is clearly labeled on the statements from a business account.

I’m planning to upload them and send a journal message straight away admitting I haven’t declared this income and offering to pay back the UC overpayment in full as a lump sum.

​My main worries are that the UC review will flag my CA claim and previous joint claim which I will again be completely honest about.

I’ve looked and been earning way over the limit for parts of the last 5 years, so the overpayment there could be big.

If it just relates to the solo claim then I will pay back what I owe and end my claim, if more then I would like to do the same but I am worried that that could escalate it to something else.

If I’m totally honest now, is there a chance they’ll keep this as a civil matter (like a fine/penalty) rather than a criminal fraud thing? I’m not trying to dodge the debt, I just want to avoid a court case or prison.

How likely am I to get called in for a formal interview? Does being cooperative and paying it all back now help avoid that?

​I’ve really struggled with the admin side of things and I know that’s no excuse, but I just want to make this right, pay what I owe no matter how long it takes, and move on with my life.

Has anyone been through similar recently, especially with the CA reviews happening this year?

​Thanks in advance.