600 unpaid carers prosecuted due to DWP failings

A National Audit Office (NAO) report has highlighted Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) failures. It has hit hundreds of thousands of unpaid carers with outrageous and potentially deadly penalties. Additionally, the CPS has given 600 of them criminal records after the DWP snitched on them:

“The National Audit Office (NAO) report published today, is yet further evidence of a broken system that is failing unpaid carers.” – @Helen_M_Walker

Carer’s Allowance debt has reached £250 million, this scandal must be stopped to prevent even further hardship for carers. pic.twitter.com/M1drccYsmh

— Carers UK (@CarersUK) December 11, 2024

DWP: snitching on carers for its own failings

As first reported by the Guardian, the DWP has heavily penalised unpaid carers for tiny breaches of Carer’s Allowance rules. This is in the five years since senior officials promised to fix the benefit, which has previously been hit with scandals.

The DWP have taken back over 262,000 repayable overpayments, which total over £325m. They took them back from carers who had unintentionally broken the Carer’s Allowance rules. In total, the CPS has prosecuted 600 carers. Due to muppets at the DWP snitching on them, they now have permanent criminal records.

The CPS prosecuting these people after the DWP reported them is nothing short of cruel. The impact of now having a criminal record will put carers in even more financial hardship. Criminal convictions impact many things – from the ability to take out a mortgage or insurance, or get a job:

Thank you @patrickjbutler. Whilst I welcome the @DWPgovuk Sayce Review, it’s essential that outdated Carers Allowance is replaced asap, a UK All Age Carer Strategy developed plus, and at pace, DWP Vulnerable Customer Policy and Practice is overhauled and Duty of Care introduced.

— Johnny Timpson (@johnnytimpson1) December 11, 2024

The Guardian also reported:

Charities and MPs said the watchdog’s report showed that the DWP’s failure to properly staff its carer’s allowance department and address flaws in the benefit’s design had left thousands of carers in financial difficulties and emotional distress.

Clearly, no one else should be fined until a full review has taken place:

Still currently more than 134,500 #unpaidcarers repaying overpayment debts of more than £251m, whilst CA unit focused on internal savings, cutting staff who did checks by 14% over past 2yrs despite previous NAO warnings

Everything should be put on hold til Govt review is done! https://t.co/5dAZD86uco

— Dementia Who! (@Dementiawho) December 11, 2024

This just makes my blood boil @patrickjbutler -its simply a form of bureaucratic poor law “less eligibility” in the post modern world consistently aimed at those who are doing critically important caring on our behalf https://t.co/1UmXDOrNcq

— Steve Collett (@stevejcollett) December 11, 2024

Previously, the Canary has reported on the DWP coming under fire for pursuing overpayments of Carer’s allowance. Additionally, the department piloted harassing unpaid carers via text message.

What is Carer’s Allowance?

DWP Carer’s Allowance provides just £81.90 a week to those who care for someone for at least 35 hours a week. However, if a carer earns even slightly more than £151 per week from other employment, the DWP deems the entire allowance an overpayment and demands repayment, often in lump sums or monthly deductions.

As of mid-2024, around 134,000 unpaid carers will have to repay a cumulative total of £250m, adding further strain to already vulnerable households.

These individuals, who provide vital, unpaid care for loved ones, are being asked to repay millions of pounds after unintentionally exceeding income thresholds. This has caused significant financial distress for thousands of carers, many of whom are already struggling to make ends meet.

Previously, MoneyWellness reported:

Most overpayments were made because of people going over the earnings limit, while others were mistakes by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Fewer than 500 cases were due to fraud.

Over two thirds of overpayments (70%) happened when people went over the earnings limit because of:

• fluctuating earnings, like zero-hours contracts, being self-employed or doing shift work
• working extra time, for example by covering a colleague or working slightly over your shift
• getting a pay rise or minimum wage increase
• getting extra pay one month, such as holiday pay or a bonus
• employer mistakes

Carers UK say many carers don’t understand the rules around the earnings limit.

Carer’s allowance cliff edge

So now, the DWP is forcing criminal records on carers due to its OWN errors, alongside its cruel Carer’s Allowance cliff edge. As people on X pointed out, this shouldn’t exist anyway:

The cliff edge needs to go @stephenctimms

A taper surely is more fair. https://t.co/ozwlUdXDgY

— KenShabby163 (@KShabby16334956) December 11, 2024

For instance, Universal Credit has an earnings taper, so the DWP doesn’t just cut social security off when a person earns over a certain threshold.

The Carer’s Allowance earnings limit is also increasing in April 2025 in line with the National Living Wage (NLW). It’s going up from the current £151 a week to £196. Notably though, this will still only mean carers can do around 16 hours of work on the NLW. This will also mean nothing to those carers who do this full time or are chronically ill or disabled themselves – and therefore, cannot work.

DWP: unconscionable actions

Overall, the DWP’s pursuit of these overpayments will have pushed carers into deeper financial hardship.

According to Carers UK, around 44% of working age unpaid carers live in poverty. It also found 36% of unpaid carers have had thoughts of suicide or self-harm. This is among carers who reported having bad or very bad mental health

It is unconscionable that the DWP has punished carers for its own catalogue of errors, and needlessly complex rules. At the end of the day (and the beginning!) – carers are the bedrock of our society. They provide endless unpaid labour for friends and family needing care. The DWP should be properly supporting them – not turning them into criminals.

Feature image via the Canary