Hundreds of thousands of DWP benefit claimants have been hit with a surprise bill with debts of £20,000.

Some 134,800 people owed Carer’s Allowance payments to the DWP because of overpayments, as of May 2024.

Carers UK has released a report looking into the issue, with carers surveyed for the report saying they owe debts of between £150 and £20,000, with an average overpayment debt of £4,000.

Around seven in 10 of the overpayments are due to carers breaching the earnings limit for the…