Campaigners warn that, at the current glacial pace, some unpaid carers will die before receiving refunds for unlawful benefit demands.
Charities say unpaid carers were pursued for bills running to thousands of pounds after welfare officials unlawfully changed the rules for carer’s allowance. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is now working through about 200,000 cases in which carer’s allowance recipients were incorrectly recorded as having been overpaid.
Campaigners estimate that roughly 25,000 carers could receive full or partial refunds, but have warned that many people face lengthy waits to learn whether they will get money back — with some saying victims could wait until 2054 for justice.
Patrick Butler, Social policy editor. Published 13 September 2026. Source: The Guardian.
Source: theguardian.com
