A petition to review and reform Carer’s Allowance

The government released new data last Friday showing it was attempting to recoup Carer’s Allowance overpayments from 156,000 unpaid carers, with around 11,600 of these carers involving carers with debts of over £5,000.

Carer’s UK is now launching a new petition calling on the government to urgently review and reform Carer’s Allowance, to increase the financial support available to carers and to reduce overpayments.

“We believe this benefit is at too low a level, has inadequate eligibility criteria and outdated and punitive systems, which are causing unnecessary financial hardship and distress to many unpaid carers, who are already struggling to make ends meet.

Thousands of carers are incurring substantial debt as a result of Carer’s Allowance overpayments, sometimes due to going over the earnings limit by as little as £1. Overpayments that result from an honest mistake can lead to debts that run up into £1000s.”

They would also like to hear from you if you’ve experienced a Carer’s Allowance overpayment in the past.