Unpaid carers could have debts cut or cancelled amid government probe

• The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is reviewing approximately 200,000 cases of Carer's Allowance overpayments due to "confusing" earnings guidance.
• An estimated 25,000 unpaid carers are expected to have their debts cancelled, significantly reduced, or receive refunds for amounts already repaid.
• The widespread issue, where carers were penalised for slightly exceeding the earnings limit, has been condemned as a "scandal" by campaigners.
• Ministers have accepted 38 of 40 recommendations from an independent review, which identified "systemic flaws" in the Carer's Allowance system between 2015 and summer 2025.
• The government is implementing reforms to modernise the benefit and prevent similar problems, with approximately half of the recommended changes already in place.

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Thousands of unpaid carers set to have debts cut or cancelled following government intervention