Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary confirms 115,943 people across Ireland received €157.5 million more in social welfare than they were entitled to in 2024
Minister for Social Protection, Dara Calleary(Image: Collins)
Thousands of individuals throughout Ireland are set to repay social welfare payments after receiving more than they were due.
Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary has stated that recipients who obtained excess funds have a “liability to refund the overpayment.” During 2024, a reported 115,943 individuals collectively received €157.5m beyond their entitlement.
Addressing the Dail, Mr Calleary explained: “The Department’s anti-fraud and control measures are designed to prevent and detect fraud, ensure effective oversight of schemes, pursue the prosecution of offenders where appropriate and recover any overpaid entitlements identified.
“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.”, reports RSVP Live.
“Overpayments of social welfare entitlements can occur where a person provides false or misleading information in their application or through error on the part of either the claimant or the Department.”
He continued: “Where we find suspected fraudulent activity, each individual case is examined and the Department decides on a relevant course of action, up to and including prosecution, if so warranted.”
Many social welfare recipients could be in for a cash boost in Budget 2026(Image: DPA/PA Images)
This development follows this week’s distribution of a Christmas bonus to more than a million social welfare recipients.
You qualify for a Christmas Bonus if you are receiving: You’ll be eligible for a Christmas Bonus if you’ve been receiving a VTOS or Youthreach training allowance for at least 12 months. If you were on a qualifying payment (see list above) just prior to your training allowance, you can combine this period to reach the 12-month requirement.
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