Unpaid carers forced to repay DWP over £250m

The Government requires unpaid carers to pay back more than £250m after thousands were unknowingly overpaid their allowance.

(c) Dominik Lange/Unsplash

(c) Dominik Lange/Unsplash

The Government requires unpaid carers to pay back more than £250m after thousands were unknowingly overpaid their allowance.

Paul Maynard MP from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) last week confirmed that 134,800 people had a total outstanding Carers Allowance debt of £251m.

Unpaid carers who care for someone for more than 35 hours a week are entitled to receive the allowance.

However, they are only eligible if their earnings fall under the £151-a-week earnings limit.

Responding to a parliamentary question from Labour MP Sir Stephen Timms, Mr Maynard MP said that women make up most Carer's Allowance claims.

There are currently 42,800 (32%) males, 91,900 (68%) females and 100 (less than 1%) not identified, with an outstanding Carers Allowance debt.

As of November 2023, there were over 991,000 people in receipt of Carers Allowance, nearly three quarters of whom are female.

The minister for disabled people, Mims Davies, recently told MPs research into how unpaid carers are impacted when they are forced to repay benefit overpayments will be published ‘shortly'.

Streeting denies last minute change to resident doctors pay deal

Streeting denies last minute change to resident doctors pay deal

By William Eichler 13 April 2026

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has said that accusations that the Government changed the deal with resident doctors at the last minute are ‘categorically unt...

AI regulatory framework programme for medical devices secures funding

By Lee Peart 09 April 2026

An MHRA programme to develop an AI regulatory framework for medical devices has secured £3.6m in funding from the DHSC.

Health devolution: opportunity or distraction?

By Lee Peart 07 April 2026

Katherine Merrifield, assistant director at The Health Foundation, says the creation of mayoral health commissioners is a significant step but must be enable...


Popular articles by Lee Peart