Overview
- HMRC halted payments for about 23,500 claimants after using international travel data to flag those believed to have left the UK.
- Following reports of wrongful suspensions, the department apologized and changed its procedure to provide a month for claimants to reply before suspension.
- Cases are being rechecked against PAYE records, with restoration and backdated payments promised where continued UK employment is confirmed, and completion targeted by the end of next week.
- Independent reporting cited high false-positive rates in the pilot, including roughly 46% overall and 78% in Northern Ireland.
- The Treasury Select Committee led by Dame Meg Hillier has sought detailed explanations on the data use and the scale of erroneous suspensions.