DWP urged to improve after causing 'mental distress' chasing carers for money

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has been urged to "improve urgently" over its handling of Carer's Allowance overpayments, following numerous reports of individuals being left with debts amounting to thousands of pounds.

The Work and Pensions Committee has issued a letter to Mel Stride MP, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, drawing attention to the "mental distress" endured by some claimants. Charities supporting carers have pointed out that the rules regarding earnings while claiming Carer's Allowance can be perplexing, especially when hours worked or pay rates vary.

Questions have also been raised about why it has taken the DWP several years in some instances to identify overpayments, resulting in some families having to repay thousands of pounds. The current earnings limit for those claiming Carer's Allowance is just £151 per week after tax, National Insurance, pension contributions and allowable expenses, reports the Mirror.

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If your earnings exceed this limit - even by a mere £1 - you forfeit your entitlement to Carer's Allowance. The majority of those claiming Carer's Allowance come from low-income households and are caring for ill or disabled family members. There have been numerous recent reports highlighting cases where carers have been asked to refund money to the DWP,

Supermarket employee Helen Grater faced a demand to repay nearly £6,000 after she picked up an additional shift at Sainsbury's while looking after her gravely ill partner. Meanwhile, full-time carer and father of three, George Henderson, was confronted with the stark choice of selling his house or facing imprisonment after he