State benefits agency UWV paid 1,200 people too much money last year but has decided not to reclaim the cash because of the financial impact this could have on claimants.

‘This is a real exception,’ board member Guus van Weelden told NOS radio. Excess payments are usually clawed back but given the mistake was made by the agency itself, those affected can keep the money, Van Weelden said.

According to the Volkskrant, the UWV paid out €2.2m too much in total, with an average over-payment of €1,800 per person.

The wrong payments were made to people who were receiving both sick or maternity pay as well as jobless benefits.

Even though some claimants reported the problems to the UWV, their complaints were not always looked at closely enough, Van Weelden said.