DWP refunding nearly 200 benefit claimants up to £5,000

Nearly 200 benefit claimants will be refunded up to £5,000 each by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), it has confirmed, as penalties that were incorrectly issued over the past few years are rescinded.The department has identified 197 cases where it wrongly issued Administrative Penalties – or ‘Ad Pens’ – between 2023 and 2025, which are charged to claimants suspected of benefit fraud.These are offered to these claimants “as an alternative to a criminal prosecution,” the DWP’s latest annual report states, only where the evidence points to a “realistic prospect of conviction”.Each is worth up to £5,000, the department has confirmed, with the minimum amount for an Ad Pen being £350.An exercise by officials has revealed 128 cases from 2023/24 and 69 from 2024/25 where these penalties