Received too much benefit
Do you find out that you have received too much benefit? Then contact your legality consultant immediately. We can settle the amount that you have received too much against your benefit or reclaim it. On this page you can read how this is done and what you have to do.
I have received too much benefit, now what?
If you see that you have received too much benefit, please contact your legality consultant. The consultant will determine the period over which you must repay the overpaid amount. Refunds can be made in two ways:
- To settle
- Reclaim
To settle
If you have received too much benefit, we may deduct this amount from your benefit for the following month. We call this calculation. We can do this with income that you received no more than six months before.
Reclaim
Did you receive the extra income longer than 6 months ago? Then we can no longer calculate it. This means that we will reclaim the overpaid amount. You then repay the amount to us. Has your situation changed in the meantime, as a result of which your benefit has become lower, but did you still receive too high a benefit before that? In that case, too, we must reclaim the overpaid amount from you.
You will always be notified in advance if we are going to charge back. The letter you receive from us will state the reason why you have to pay back. Then we calculate how much you have to pay back. We call this a chargeback. You will receive this calculation in a second letter.
To repay the claim, we may use your holiday pay, which has not yet been paid to you. Isn't that enough to repay the entire amount? Then you will receive another payment letter. You will receive this from the Debtor Management team. The letter will state that you must repay the entire amount to us within 30 days. The account number is NL73ABNA0615157629. This is also in the letter.
What if I cannot repay the entire amount in one go?
If you can't pay the chargeback in one go, you can pay it in installments. If you receive a benefit, we will deduct the excess amount from the next payment(s) of your benefit. The amount of the deduction is a maximum of 5% of your social assistance standard.
If you no longer receive a benefit, you can call our Debtor Management department to agree on a payment arrangement: 013 542 99 20. You can also send an email to team.bt.info@tilburg.nl. Together you look at which payment arrangement suits your situation.
What happens if I don't pay?
It is important that you repay the amount in one go or make a payment appointment. If you fail to do so, the municipality may seize your income. This can be your benefit or any other income you have. The law states what part of your income you need to pay your fixed costs and to do groceries. If you add these amounts together, you arrive at the income that you are allowed to keep. We call this the seizure-free foot. The amount of this depends on your situation. If you're on benefits, it's 95%.
You will then no longer receive the part of your income that is higher than the attachment-free rate. It is used to pay off your debt. You can calculate the seizure-free foot yourself on www.uwbeslagvrijvoet.nl
Seizing your income costs money. Someone has to make the calculation and the bailiff has to be paid. We call these costs collection costs. We add this to the debt and you also repay it to us.
I have reported that I have received too much benefit, but I do not yet know how much I have to pay back.
If you have indicated that you have received too much benefit, we will calculate how much this is. This can be a complicated calculation and it can also be very busy. It will then take a little longer before you receive the letter stating the amount.
We have six months to reclaim the overpaid amount from you. Will it take longer than six months? In that case, we cannot reclaim the excess payment for the period after those six months. This has been determined in a number of legal cases (case law). Please note: this rule only applies if you have indicated in time that you are receiving too much benefit. Didn't you? Then you have not complied with the information obligation. In that case, you cannot invoke the 6-month rule.
Do I also have to repay an advance?
Did you receive an advance when you applied for your benefit? Then you always have to pay this back. If you receive the benefit definitively, the advance will be deducted in one go from the first payment of your benefit.
Do you not receive the benefit in the end? Then you have to arrange the refund yourself.
Where can I see how much I still have to pay back?
Do you have debts or payment arrears with us? And would you like to know the amounts involved? Then log in to My Church. Here you will find an overview of your debts from social assistance and you can download an overview. You can use the overview for yourself or share it with an organization that needs this information.
Do you need help repaying your debt? Send an email to: debt assistance@tilburg.nl
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