Problems with direct payments

Find out on this page what to do if your direct payments are stopped, or if you are ask to repay them.

Repaying direct payments

If the local authority (LA) thinks that a direct payment has not been properly used, it can try to recover some, or all, of the payment. It could ask you to repay if either of the following apply:

• you have not used all or part of the direct payment to buy the services which the payment was intended to pay for

• the direct payment was made subject to a condition which has not been met.

If your LA says that you should repay a direct payment, you should get advice, for example, from a Citizens Advice Bureau. To search for details of your nearest CAB, including those who can give advice by e-mail, click on nearest CAB.

• Direct payments – support for people using direct payments

Top tipsDisability Rights UK has an Independent Living Advice Line that gives advice on getting direct payments and managing them. Disability Rights UK Independent Living Advice Line tel: 0300 555 1525 (Mon and Thurs 9.00am to 1.00pm) email: independentliving@disabilityrightsuk.org.

Ending direct payments

You can ask to stop receiving direct payments at any time.

The LA must stop making direct payments if you stop being eligible to receive them.

The LA may stop direct payments if either of the following apply:

• you haven't met the conditions for receiving the direct payment

• the local authority considers it is no longer appropriate to continue the direct payments.

If it is considering ending direct payments, the LA should always discuss it with you, to explore all available options.

If direct payments are to be stopped, but it is accepted that you are still entitled to care services, the LA will need to arrange the services itself.

If your direct payments are stopped you may want to complain. If you wish to complain about direct payments, you can use the LA's social services complaints procedure.

• More about social services complaints