Nearly 600 benefit claimants who were overpaid by £20,000 or more in 2024 have been allowed to keep the money. The total amount pocketed was £18.1 million, averaging at £30,800 per person.

Administrators decided to write off these debts. Most of these overpayments were due to innocent paperwork mistakes, but there were 76 instances of claimant fraud where the culprits were allowed to keep a total of £2.7million.

The Department for Work and Pensions recorded these 587 write-off cases as the worst in its history. These figures indicate that nearly £26 million in benefits is being handed out due to error or fraud every day.

In response to a Freedom of Information Act request, the DWP also disclosed the largest outstanding debts it is still pursuing. These include one individual who is rep

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