Inclusion, Equality and Social Welfare

Overpayments occur when the Department of Social Security (DSS) pays a beneficiary more social security benefits than was due, often because one's income, resources, marital status, living situation has changed or through an administrative error.

Beneficiaries of social security benefits are required to inform Director General (Social Security) of any changes in income, employment, living situation or marital status amongst others. A great number of overpayments are caused by beneficiaries who fail to do so. Be sure to keep the DSS informed on these changes, to avoid incurring inconvenient and potentially costly overpayments.

When the DSS discovers that an overpayment has been made, it sends a Notice of Overpayment to the beneficiary or his/her agent/administrator to be inform about:

• The amount of improperly paid social security benefits,
• The reason(s) for the overpayment, and
• The way the DSS proposes to recover the amount that has been overpaid.

When deciding the rate of repayment, the DSS will look at the following factors:

• The beneficiary’s ability to repay,
• Any relevant facts or circumstances that have raised by the beneficiary, and
• The amount of the overpayment and how it happened.

General criteria as to how the DSS can ask the beneficiary to repay the overpayment by either:

• Making a single payment to repay the full overpayment, or
• Making weekly or monthly cash repayments until the overpayment is paid off; or
• If you are still receiving a social security benefit payment, by deductions from your entitlement.

General documentation:

• Have a valid e-ID issued by Identity Malta to make an online payment, or
• Overpayment beneficiary details (Identity Card Number, Name and Surname and Original Amount) to make an online payment without the use of an e-ID. Only digits are to be inputted in the amount field.

How to settle an overpayment

Once the beneficiary receives a Notice of Overpayment from the DSS, the overpayment may be settled by either:

• Repay an overpayment due to the Department of Social Security online. (One can also make a repayment on behalf of another person). For this service, the user is to provide the beneficiary overpayment details including the Name and Surname, Identity Card Number and the Original Amount (€). Only digits are to be inputted in the amount field. This information can be found on the notification letter that is sent to the beneficiary or the agent/administrator. A confirmation email is sent as a receipt to the person making the payment.

or

• Presenting a cash payment of not more than €100 at one of the servizz.gov hubs. A receipt is handed to the person making the payment.