What happens if I am overpaid?
Benefits are paid based on the eligibility information available at the time you file your weekly report. An overpayment may occur if the Department receives additional or contradictory information relating to your eligibility after benefits have been paid to you. If based on new information the Department determines that you were ineligible for benefits you already received, you will be notified by mail that an overpayment has been established on your claim. You will be required to pay back the overpayment in full.
How do you collect on my overpayment?
If you have an existing overpayment balance when you are again eligible and file for benefits, your entire weekly entitlement will be retained by the Department each week and will be applied to your overpayment balance. If the overpayment is due to fraud, you will not be eligible for benefits until the overpayment is paid in full. This is only one of many methods used to recover current and past-due overpayments.
If overpayments are not promptly repaid, aggressive collection action may be taken. The department may file an administrative lien on personal property to secure the debt. We may also garnish claimant and spousal wages, as well as seizing bank accounts and state and federal tax refunds on any debt that is not repaid.
Can I make payment arrangements?
Yes. A repayment plan may be arranged for overpayments. You can repay an overpayment in a lump sum, or you can request a payment plan. To request a payment plan, please call 1-800-672-5627 or (208) 332-3573.
Where do I send my payment?
You may bring your payment into your local office, or send it directly to:
Benefit Payment Control
120 S. 3rd St.
Boise, ID 83735-0730
Can I pay with a credit card or electronic check?
Yes, we accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express. Access Idaho charges a 3% handling fee if you pay with a credit card or a flat rate of $2.50 for E-checks. To make a payment or set up reoccurring payments, please call 1-800-672-5627 or (208) 332-3573
Can I ask for the overpayment to be waived?
Yes. When an overpayment is found, we issue a notice telling you why you were overpaid and the amount due. If you believe the notice is incorrect, you can ask for your overpayment to be waived if it is within the 14-day protest period.
You must meet both criteria in example A or both criteria in example B in order to receive a waiver of the overpayment.
- The overpayment must have been caused solely by Department error or inadvertence AND made to a claimant who had no way of knowing that s/he was receiving benefits to which s/he was not entitled.
OR
- The overpayment was a result of an employer misreporting wages earned in a claimant's base period AND the claimant could not reasonably have been expected to recognize an error in the wages reported.
Instructions for requesting a Determination of Waiver are listed on the Determination of Overpayment that you will receive whenever an overpayment is established on your claim.
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