Benefit Overpayments: How to Request a Discretionary Waiver

Changes to rules relating to the recovery of benefit overpayments mean that recovery will now be sought in the vast majority of cases. This has shifted the spotlight to the Department’s discretionary power to waive recovery. A recent legal challenge in Great Britain has resulted in important changes to the Department for Work & Pensions’ Benefit Overpayment Recovery Guide, which appears to open up access to discretionary waivers.

This course will provide a practical guide to making an application for a discretionary waiver in light of those changes through discussion of relevant case studies and the completion of submission templates.

Content covered in the course will include:

• Legislative and case law basis for the Department to exercise its discretion
• Key medical and hardship grounds for requesting a discretionary waiver
• Changes to the DWP guidance contained in the Benefit Overpayment Recovery Guide
• Evidence required to support a waiver request
• Engaging with Debt Management

For more information and register - click here.