Yahoo News DWP Carer's Allowance change on way after claimants forced to repay £20,000
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is preparing to implement a significant change to the Carer's Allowance. This comes in response to mounting criticism and controversy surrounding a scandal that has seen unpaid carers prosecuted for exceeding the earnings threshold.
Many individuals receiving the benefit have been forced to repay sums as high as £20,000 after inadvertently breaking government rules which stipulate that claims cannot be made if weekly earnings exceed £151. The DWP has unveiled new strategies to prevent claimants from facing prosecution.
The department is considering the use of targeted text messages or emails, sending alerts to claimants when potential overpayments are detected. This would encourage them to get in touch with the DWP and reduce the risk of overpayment, according to the department.
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Under DWP regulations, entitlement to Carer's Allowance is lost if earnings surpass the limit by even a single pound. The majority of those claiming Carer's Allowance come from low-income households and provide care for sick or disabled family members.
Carer's Allowance, valued at £81.90 per week, is granted if you provide care for someone for at least 35 hours a week. The individual being cared for must also be in receipt of certain benefits, such as the Personal Independence Payment, reports Birmingham Live.
Recent reports highlighted the case of a woman who was instructed to repay nearly £6,000 to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) after she took on an additional shift at Sainsbury's while caring for her seriously ill partner.
A full-time carer and father of three was compelled to sell his house or risk imprisonment after being prosecuted for receiving an overpayment of Carer's Allowance. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) conceded in a letter last month that he likely made an innocent error.
