One in five Irish pensioners had their payments slashed by €50 because they were overpaid, it has been reported.
The Department of Social Protection found some pensioners were being paid more than normal, after reviewing 1,000 randomly selected payments.
Those on the means-tested non-contributory scheme were overpaid by 6% of the value of their payments, a report has revealed.
The Comptroller and Auditor General - the state’s spending watchdog - found an unacceptable level of irregular social welfare payments.
Its annual report said: “The level of irregular payments found by the department’s control surveys is material."
The means-tested non-contributory pension scheme had a budget of just over €1billion in 2018.
The report said the DSP’s survey found fewer underpayments than overpayments.
The survey found that 94% of the incorrect payments happened because the claimants’ means were incorrect.
