DWP confirms when it will start checking up on bank accounts amid new rules

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The DWP has announced a full list of dates it will start to carry out checks on the bank accounts of benefits claimants.These new 'snooping powers' are designed to help prevent the breaking of any rules by allowing banks and building societies to keep a closer eye on any potential rule-breaking activities.The DWP says it hopes to test the new rules from 2025 and then start bringing it in properly from 2027.

It's expected to be running at full scale, with all banks on board, by 2031. These are the key dates along with the savings made from the amount of fraud and error that has been stopped, as reported by Birmingham Live.It comes after government figures found that £8.3 million was lost to fraud and error in the welfare system in 2022/23 - the majority of which was carried out by claimants.

In terms of Universal Credit, the DWP said it had paid out £894 million to people who hadn't declared they'd got too much money to be receiving benefits.For people on Universal Credit, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Housing Benefit and Income Support, there is a capital limit of £16,000.

If this is exceeded, benefit claims are stopped, and they should not be approved in the first place if someone has that many savings when they apply.