DWP officials are to review more state pension cases next year in efforts to crack down on cases of fraud and error.
Over the 2023 to 2024 tax year, officials will check details of some state pension claims to make sure the correct amount is being paid and all personal details are correct.
DWP figures showed over this financial year, officials have reviewed 1,646 state pension cases, which is the same as about 0.02 percent of state pensioners.
For the first time, next year’s scheme will include looking at claims administered through the Get Your State Pension online service.
This service allows a person to put in a claim for their state pension, when they are within three months of reaching the state pension age, which is currently 66.
To use the service, a person has to furnish details about their most recent marriage or civil partnership, dates for any time living or working abroad, as well as the invitation code from a letter they will have received about claiming the state pension.
A person can check how much state pension they are on track to procure using the state pension forecast tool on the Government website.
The full basic state pension is currently £156.20 a week while the full new state pension pays £203.85 a week. Payments are increasing 8.5 percent in the new tax year, with the full basic state pension going up to £169.50 a week while the full new state pension will be £221.20 a week.
Over the coming tax year, the DWP will be measuring the following benefits for fraud and error:
- Universal Credit
- Housing Benefit (pension age cases)
- Pension Credit
- State Pension
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- Disability Living Allowance (DLA).
The DWP plans to publish its fraud and error report for the 2023/2024 financial year in May of next year.
Definitions of Fraud, Claimant Error and Official Error
Officials will look for three types of fraud and error, including:
1. Fraud
This includes claims where all three of the following conditions apply:
- The conditions for receipt of benefit, or the rate of benefit in payment, are not being met
- The claimant can reasonably be expected to be aware of the effect on their entitlement
- Benefit payment stops or reduces as a result of the review.
Common examples of benefit fraud
- Faking an illness or injury to get unemployment or disability benefits
- Failing to report income from a business or employment to make income seem lower than it actually is
- Living with someone who contributes to the household income without declaring that income to the authorities
- Falsifying accounts to make it seem admire a person has less money than they say they do.
2. Claimant Error
- The claimant has provided inaccurate or incomplete information or failed to report a change in their circumstances, but there is no evidence of fraudulent intent on the claimant’s part.
3. Official Error
- The benefit has been paid incorrectly due to a failure to act, a delay or a mistaken assessment by the DWP, a local authority or HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), to which no one outside of that department has materially contributed, regardless of whether the business unit has processed the information.
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2. Claimant Error
- The claimant has provided inaccurate or incomplete information or failed to report a change in their circumstances, but there is no evidence of fraudulent intent on the claimant’s part.
3. Official Error
- The benefit has been paid incorrectly due to a failure to act, a delay or a mistaken assessment by the DWP, a local authority or HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), to which no one outside of that department has materially contributed, regardless of whether the business unit has processed the information.
