Almost €85m in social welfare overpayments have not been recouped

Nearly €56.5m was lost last year, with another €28.4m not recouped the previous year, bringing the total amount of money not recovered to €84.9m

Figures provided by the Department of Social Protection show that in 2023, there were 87,732 overpayments made with a total value of €115.8m. In 2024, this rose to 115,943 overpayments worth €157.7m.

Some €85m in social welfare overpayments made over the last two years have not been recouped.

However, Social Democrats TD Aidan Farrelly has questioned how the Department of Social Protection is classifying overpayments, suggesting that those listed as “customer error” should be caught by social welfare officers.