Law Centre NI welcomes the recent steps which are being taken in Great Britain to help prevent Carer’s Allowance Overpayments and calls for similar measures to be implemented in Northern Ireland.
This includes the UK Government’s announcement of an independent review into Carer’s Allowance Overpayments[1], and a pilot text scheme which is being rolled out that alerts claimants when they have breached the earnings limit.[2]
Carer’s Allowance Overpayments in Northern Ireland
In Northern Ireland, there are approximately 6,500 claimants who are at risk of having to pay back an overpayment. The Department for Communities Annual Report and Accounts 2024, noted that Carer’s Allowance overpayments totalled £8,682,690 (inclusive of official error, customer error and customer fraud).[3]
LCNI were pleased to recently publish our new resource, ‘A Guide to Understanding Carer’s Allowance Overpayments’, which will help frontline workers and advisers across Northern Ireland to respond to this issue. Additionally, this guide highlights key elements and areas of concern to be aware of.
What next steps do we recommend?
Carers provide a vital role in our society, and it is essential that they receive appropriate information and support to avoid preventable overpayments. Therefore, we call on the Department for Communities to launch a similar review into Carer’s Allowance Overpayments and, subject to a successful pilot in GB, quickly introduce a similar text scheme for claimants across Northern Ireland.
If you would like to speak to Law Centre NI about Carer’s Allowance Overpayments, please contact us via phone 028 9024 4401 or email benefitsadvice@lawcentreni.org
Additionally, you can view our recent adviser guide ‘here‘.