More than half of all beneficiaries now owe Work and Income money, and their debts have increased in every region over the last year.
Photo: supplied
Figures released to Checkpoint With John Campbell show 60 percent of beneficiaries had a debt, up from 49 percent in 2008.
The debt includes money owed for overpayments, one-off grants for living costs, and some fraud.
Regionally, Auckland had the most indebted beneficiaries, with 51,000 people owing an average of $2800 each.
In Northland, 11,000 beneficiaries owed an average of $2700.
