Repayments to UK carer's allowance victims advance slowly, with only 100 carers repaid

Only a small fraction of the tens of thousands of unpaid carers in Britain who unknowingly built up large debts after unlawful changes to benefit guidance have so far been repaid. This follows the first official update on a reassessment programme launched in April by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), the government body responsible for benefits. Carer's allowance is a payment to people who provide unpaid care for sick or disabled relatives.

The figures

In the first five months of the £75m, three-year programme, 2,400 cases have been reviewed, or 1.04% of an estimated 230,900. Full repayments went to 100 carers, totalling £40,000, with an average of £342. Debts of another 100 carers were cut by a combined £20,000. The sum returned is 41% lower than first estimated.

How the problem arose

The reassessment covers cases where the DWP broke the law by not letting carers with irregular part-time wages average their income over a year. An independent review by disability rights expert Liz Sayce found the problem began in 2020, when officials quietly changed guidance without informing carers or seeking legal or policy advice. Debts reached as high as £20,000. The review was prompted by a Guardian investigation.

Reactions

Helen Walker, chief executive of the charity Carers UK, said that at the current pace the exercise would take around 40 years, and called for a clear plan. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey urged the prime minister to intervene. The DWP prioritises accuracy over speed and says it will finish by March 2029, planning to double project staff to 250 by next April. Campaigners also point to unfinished Sayce recommendations, including debts caused by universal credit faults.