Fixing past payment errors

When making a payment error enquiry, you'll need either your:

• Work and Income client number, if you know it, or
• Inland Revenue (IRD) number

If you aren't a current client, you'll also need to tell us your:

• bank account number
• current phone number, in case we have to contact you
• current postal address
• email address, if you have one (it makes contacting you easier).

If you're making a payment error enquiry for someone else, you need to:

• have a valid Enduring Power of Attorney
• have a valid Court Order made under the Protection of Personal and Property Rights Act 1988, or
• be the person's agent with appropriate authority.

You'll also need the person's:

• either:
  • Work and Income client number, if you know it, or
  • Inland Revenue (IRD) number
• current phone number, in case we need to contact them
• email address, if they have one (this is the easiest way for us to contact them).

We'll need your:

• organisation, if you're part of one
• phone number, so we can contact you
• email address, if you have one
• postal address.

We'll also need either:

• the person's bank account number, or
• your bank account number.

If you're making a payment error enquiry for someone who has died, you need to:

• be the executor or administrator of their estate, or
• have been the person's partner or dependant, or a beneficiary of their estate.

You also need either the person's:

• Work and Income client number, if you know it, or
• Inland Revenue (IRD) number.

We'll need your:

• organisation, if you're enquiring on behalf of an organisation managing the estate
• phone number, so we can contact you
• email address, if you have one, to make contacting you easier
• postal address
• bank account number.

If we owe you money, the payment errors enquiry form will give you an option to submit your enquiry for processing. Once it's submitted, we'll match the information you've told us with our records.

Within 7 working days we'll either:

• send you a letter and pay the money into your bank account, or
• contact you for more information if:
  • your details don't match our records
  • we need to clarify anything with you
  • your enquiry is for someone else or someone who has died (to make sure we're paying the money to the right person).

If you live overseas, payments may take a little longer.