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DWP Warning Issued over £16,000 Rule as Bank Account Checks Rolled Out - Yorkshire Live
The Department for Work and Pensions aims to save £2.1 billion over five years by requiring banks to verify benefit claimants’ eligibility with targeted data checks.
- The Department for Work and Pensions is rolling out Eligibility Verification Notices to banks, aiming to check benefit claims and prevent overpayments, as part of last summer's rules.
- Because unverified information can cause overpayments, the government is expanding data checks to reduce fraud and errors, with a DWP spokesperson saying these measures will save taxpayers £2.1billion over five years.
- The DWP says banks and other financial institutions will only flag accounts receiving specified benefits that meet eligibility indicators and provide limited data like account holder basic details, while DWP personnel review flagged cases without full transaction histories.
- Claimants face potential reviews, recovered overpayments, and debts if accounts are flagged, as initial checks apply to Universal Credit, Pension Credit, and ESA, but not the State Pension.
- The DWP says safeguards include independent oversight with annual reporting to Parliament and penalties under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act, though critics call the notices 'bank spying powers'.
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26 Articles
Keighley News+24 Reposted by 24 other sources
The DWP can now check your bank account but what do the new powers really mean?
Millions of people claiming benefits could soon see their bank accounts checked in a new way, as the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) rolls out expanded powers aimed at tackling fraud and errors.
·Keighley, United Kingdom
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