More than £340,000 in benefit overpayments has been written off by the government over the last three years.

In a written Tynwald question, Douglas North MHK John Wannenburgh asked Treasury Minister Chris Thomas how much benefit overpayment had been written off in each of the past three years.

In his response, Mr Thomas revealed that the total value of benefit overpayments written off was £139,006.13 in 2023-24, £138,511.56 in 2024-25 and £63,287.23 in 2025-26.

Mr Thomas added: ‘While the amount written off in 2025-26 was significantly lower than in the preceding two years, the number of cases written off was only slightly reduced.

‘The lower total reflects the fact that the average value of each write-off in 2025-26 was considerably smaller than in previous years.’

The figures provided in the response do not identify whether the sums relate to cases of benefit fraud or overpayments resulting from government error or an honest mistake by the recipient.

In cases involving benefit fraud, courts can impose compensation or confiscation orders in an attempt to recover the money. However, where large sums are involved, defendants are often unable to repay the full amount.

Where an overpayment has occurred through an honest mistake, recipients can usually repay the money through an agreed repayment plan with Treasury.

In some circumstances, where a claimant was unaware they had been overpaid and has since spent the money, they may not be required to repay the outstanding amount.

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