Carer’s allowance scandal victims could wait until 2054 for justice, charities warn
Summary
Many unpaid carers in the UK may have to wait many years to find out if they will get money back after wrongly being charged for benefit overpayments by the government. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is slowly reviewing 200,000 cases, with only a small number processed so far, raising concerns about the long wait for justice.Key Facts
- The DWP is reviewing 200,000 cases of carer’s allowance overpayments caused by incorrect benefit rules.
- About 25,000 carers might get full or partial refunds.
- Only 1.5% of cases have been processed months into a two-year plan.
- At the current speed, charities estimate the review could take until 2054.
- Some carers owe debts of up to £20,000 through no fault of their own.
- In 2025-26, over 30,000 more overpayments were made despite efforts to fix the problem.
- Some penalties were incorrectly issued based on faulty government guidance.
- The reassessment focuses on cases where carers’ earnings were not averaged correctly, causing unfair penalties.
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