To anyone who might in future be affected. I'm sure the panel will not be surprised by my experience.
I receive ESA. I declared a new pension to DWP and they took the paperwork and recalculated my weekly amount downwards. I thought that was it.
Last week, I received a threatening looking Local Office Compliance letter with a SUMMONS to an interview on pain of......you know!
I could not get through for days on number given, and was therefore quite stressed. Finally, it emerged there was a cock-up. Because DWP reads HMRC files, as soon as they saw other income, DWP assumed an employer and therefore undeclared income. Shock, horror!
When I rang, they actually told me tbe issue. I told them the name you have casually picked up and then hurled a letter at me was.....the pension provider, not an employer paying me undeclared income. And that I had already declared this to you.
Response: "Oh". The interview was cancelled, but no attempts at an apology.....
So there you are. Even when you do the right thing, it is not the end of the story....
A
