Revealed: some Australians have overpaid their Centrelink debt by more than $20,000

<p><strong>Exclusive:</strong> Services Australia spokesperson says automatic BPay payments and Centrelink being unable to contact customers may be to blame</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2025/oct/24/australia-news-live-police-search-colleen-walker-craig-bowraville-river-labor-environment-laws-murray-watt-coalition-greens-ntwnfb">Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates</a></p></li><li><p>Get our <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/email-newsletters?CMP=cvau_sfl">breaking news email</a>, <a href="https://app.adjust.com/w4u7jx3">free app</a> or <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/series/full-story?CMP=cvau_sfl">daily news podcast</a></p></li></ul><p>Approximately 44,000 Australians who have a debt with Centrelink have overpaid it, some by $20,000 or more, Guardian Australia can reveal.</p><p>It is the latest in a string of scandals to hit Centrelink after hundreds of thousands of people <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/sep/26/more-than-300000-australians-had-centrelink-payments-cancelled-illegally-new-analysis-shows">had their payments illegally cancelled</a>, with <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/mar/05/australia-mutual-obligation-system-it-system-error">several reviews</a> concluding the welfare system is not working legally and the government announcing plans to undertake at least three remediation processes for separate issues – <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/sep/04/robodebt-victims-win-record-settlement-centrelink-government-compensation">the robodebt class action</a>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/aug/27/about-3m-australians-affected