The taxpayer has been left to foot the bill for more than €15 million worth of incorrect welfare payments over the past two years.
A total of €7.97 million in benefits were written off last year, up more than €300,000 on the equivalent figure of €7.64 million from 2023.
The Department of Social Protection said overpayments of welfare were written off – either partially or in full – when there was “no prospect of future recovery” of the cash.
It stated that 75 per cent of these payments related to deceased individuals, while other overpayments of less than €100 were deemed uneconomical to pursue.
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The department said that when a write-off took place, it could be re-examined if the financial circumstances of the person involved improved.
An information note stated: “[We operate] a structured debt management policy in line with normal good practice in recovery of overpayments, including yearly statements issued to customers.”
Data released under Freedom of Information legislation show that nearly €3.1 million of the money written off last year related to the non-contributory State pension.
A further €1.44 million was deemed irrecoverable from the contributory State pension as well as about €841,000 in illness benefits.
Other payments with six-figure write-offs included invalidity pensions, jobseeker’s benefit, pensions for widows or widowers, and one-parent family payments.
The department said that during the same period of 2023 and 2024, there were welfare overpayments of €273 million.
There was a sharp increase in overpayments last year, €157.5 million as compared to a 12-month figure of €115.8 million in 2023.
The department said these could occur when false or misleading information was provided by an individual seeking a benefit payment. It added that overpayments could also be caused by error, either on behalf of the applicant or by the department itself.
“Persons who have been overpaid social welfare have a liability to refund the overpayment as they have been in receipt of a payment to which they were not entitled,” stated an information note.
“Overpayments in any given year represent less than 0.5 per cent of total expenditure.”
The highest overpayments last year were recorded on the pandemic unemployment payment, the state pension, and jobseeker’s allowance.
The department stated that in 2023, it had recovered more than €87 million in overpaid welfare payments.
Last year, that figure rose to just over €100 million, according to the records.
A note said: “Where an overpayment occurs, the department seeks to recover the full value of the overpayment.
“Because of the potential impact of overpayment recovery on customers with limited means, appropriate controls are required to ensure fairness and reasonableness.”
The department stated that if a person was still receiving a welfare payment, deductions of up to 15 per cent were the norm.
If the individual was now in full-time employment but declined to repay the money, the department said they would consider making “an attachment of earnings order” for automatic deductions from a bank account.
The department said it would always work with people to ensure there was no “undue financial hardship” in any plan for recoupment of cash.
